Tsukune's Ascendancy
by Vincent Arturian
Summary: Tsukune finds friends in the depths of Youkai after transferring to the out-of-this-world academy. But when he gets into trouble deeper than he could have ever imagined, can he withstand the challenges that await him? TsukunexHarem, no Yukari or Ruby. Possible cameos, though.
1. Arrival

Youkai Academy's New Student

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

**Author 's Notes: **This will _not_ be a plug-and-replace. This is my first story and this really short chapter was just to see how the upload system worked. I apologize for a look-a-like story but I promise it will be different. Just bear with me, please :)

Tsukune was just getting off the bus when the bus driver started laughing ominously and said, "This is a scary-ass place you're going to. Hope you've prepared yourself." And with that, he closed the door and sped off into the tunnel.

"What was _that_ all about?" Tsukune muttered under his breath. He was already unsettled by the creepy, bent trees and the cliffs right next to the bus stop, but the advice (or was it a warning? He didn't know) really raised the bar. He got moving, determined to at least make it to the dorms and get things settled.

The forest loomed up at him as he got near it, and straightening his shoulders, he went on in. There were tombstones and bones littered all about, and the trees were, if it were possible, got even creepier as he ventured further.

"Gah!" Tsukune shrieked as bats flew overhead. "What kind of school is this?!" _That's it! I'm getting out of here!_ He started to run back to the direction of the bus stop when he heard the ringing of a bicycle bell. He stopped, wondering who it could be in the middle of this forest.

"Who's there?!" Tsukune shouted uncertainly.

WHAM!

"AAAAGH!" Tsukune screamed as someone on a bike plowed into him from behind.

While it didn't necessarily hurt, he was still really surprised someone had run him down from behind. He was just about to turn around with a sharp accusation on his tongue when his heart missed a beat.

She was all eyes and cotton candy colored bangs that only accentuated her hourglass form and shapely legs. Tsukune found he couldn't stop staring at those emerald globes.

All he could think to say was, "Here let me help you," and, naturally, as his hand reached to help he slipped and his hand fell on her inner thigh.

His eyes widened and he jumped back, startled and embarrassed. However, a tiny smile crossed her face and she moved to help him and she started gathering his things with a single "I'm sorry" and she continued.

He was still dumbstruck as she gathered everything up and lifted her bike up to put all of their stuff into the basket on the front. He could only watch as this beautiful girl was acting like nothing was out of place.

"I-I'm sorry for be-being in y-your w-w-way," Tsukune stammered. _Geez! I sound like such an idiot!_

At that, she turned around and quickly noticed his head was bleeding a little bit. "You're hurt! Here, let me help you," she said, getting out a napkin and starting to mop up the blood. However, she stiffened and started sniffing intently.

Her eyes suddenly glazed and leaned closer, still sniffing, while the increasingly astounded Tsukune sat still, unable to do anything. "You smell good…" she said… and bit his neck!

"Ow!" he gasped, clutching his neck. _Hmm… there's no mark, and it's not that bad… but why did she bite me?! _Out loud, he said, "Hey! What was that for?"

"I'm sorry! It's just that you really do smell good and your blood tastes so delicious!" _(My blood?!)_ "I hope it didn't bother you too much… my name's Akashiya Moka, what's yours?"

"Uh… my name? A-Aono Tsukune. Pleased to meet you," he said warily.

"Tsukune, huh? That's a nice name… listen, I don't have any friends here yet, and I was wondering if you'd like to be my friend!" She started off nervous, but ended hopeful and expectant. Whatever the reason she just bit him, he couldn't resist a smile of his own.

"I'd like to be your friend, Moka-san."


	2. Revival

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

As expected, Tsukune and Moka became fast friends, and they talked about everything from classes to their experiences in middle school. However, Moka wasn't so eager to talk about her childhood as Tsukune was.

"I've never had a friend in human school," Moka explained. "I've always been alone, ever since the beginning. Everyone always made fun of me because I believed in monsters." Tsukune couldn't believe this beautiful girl could have been abused like that, but he made a vow right then and there that he would be there for this girl no matter what happened or who she really was.

"That's really horrible, Moka-san! You know what? I'll be your friend, and I'll always be there for you," he offered. At this, her face lit up like a candle and tackled him in a massive hug. "Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you!" she shrieked, elated she'd found a real friend. After all that nonsense was out of the way, Tsukune glanced at his watch and noticed it was time to head to homeroom, or he'd be late. "It's time for class, we'd better hurry," and with that, he sped off, leaving a slightly pensive Moka to stand there watching him go. She started off too after a moment, and their first day at Youkai officially began.

X-X

Tsukune was seated near the back of the class, doodling on a piece of paper when the homeroom teacher bounced in. "Kaaaaaay! This is class C-2 and I'm your homeroom teacher, Nekonome Shizuka! We all know this is a school of monsters, by monsters, and for monsters, (Tsukune stiffened at that) and we're going to teach you how to blend in with the humans!"

"Why can't we just eat em?" snapped a reclining punk with long brown bangs and piercings all over. A couple of the students were nodding while the others were just shaking their heads in exasperation.

"Why, there are over seven billion of them, silly! They'd destroy us by sheer numbers!" Nekonome said cheerfully. "Now…"

Just then, the door opened with a beautiful shy girl standing there with a hand on her lip. Nekonome noticed and waved her in. "Please introduce yourself!"

She nodded and did so. "My name is Akashiya Moka. Pleased to meet you all!" she said with a little bow. But as she glanced around the room, she noticed Tsukune and flew over to him with another tackle hug and a shout of "Tsukune!" Unsurprisingly, the other students glared at him while the punk just stared at him with a half-interested look in his eyes. He licked his lips and the class continued unimpeded for the rest of the day.

X-X

Tsukune got over the fact that the whole school was full of monsters a couple of days after, along with some fights with Moka and some tears on her part. Being the gentleman he is Tsukune couldn't resist agreeing to stay, but he had his doubts. After all, that punk (whose name he now knows is Komiya Saizou) had started stalking Moka relentlessly and he was getting pretty peeved about it. The two were getting drinks in between classes and were talking about their day cheerfully when Tsukune glanced at a disturbance in the populace.

"That jerk Saizou is at it again," Tsukune muttered to Moka as he came sauntering out of the crowd. She, naturally, had noticed already because of her inner youki detector (he was determined, so his youki was more active than normal) but didn't want Tsukune to know the extent of her powers or Ura-chan would berate her even more.

"Come on, Tsukune. We'd better go," she said urgently. Saizou, however, was persistent and caught up to them quickly.

"Hey Moka, what're you doing hanging out with that wimp Aono? You should be hanging out with a guy like me," he growled while lifting Tsukune up by his collar. "You honestly shouldn't even talk to this guy. Look at him! Not even resisting when he's obviously in for a beating." Saizou threw Tsukune into the courtyard like he was a doll. He was pretty shaken up, but not seriously hurt.

Moka, of course, ran to Tsukune, trying to see if he was okay. Saizou, however, wasn't having it, and proceeded to kick him further into the bordering forest and then down the hill on the other side. Tsukune could only notice the bus stop in the haze of pain his ribs were telling him about.

"Come on, wimp! Fight back already! Or are you too spineless?!" Saizou cackled, slowly making his way to the poor boy's fallen form. He started to transform, growing taller and tearing his shirt, revealing a grotesque monster with vicious-looking claws and teeth.

_An orc?_ Tsukune guessed. Not very strong then, but still deadly to a simple human. Moka finally caught up, screaming his name and trying to stop Saizou from doing any more harm.

"Tsukune! Are you okay?" she whimpered. Tsukune barely had enough energy to lift his head, but he did, and he looked deeply into her quivering eyes, thinking, _I'd do anything for her…_

He reached up to do something, but he honestly can't think of what it was. Did he want to touch her face, hold her hand, offer comfort? Whichever his motive, his strength cut out, and his hand trembled, finally falling back down to catch on a necklace he hadn't noticed before.

_Moka…_ was Tsukune's last thought before he passed out. He only caught a glimpse of the maelstrom of blood red energy that erupted next to him. He wouldn't remember it, though.

X-X

The world sounded like it was coming in through a radio with a bad connection. He could hear voices, not clearly, but he could make out a deep gravelly voice and one dripping with malice. The gravelly voice seemed to be extremely fearful, as if it were facing its worst nightmare. The other voice, the smooth, honey-like one, was confident, sure of itself, and brooked no argument to its stature. When his eyes finally opened, he couldn't make out anything except two hazy forms, one small and lithe, one huge and muscular. The huge one seemed to be… trembling, though he couldn't tell why.

Voices, both infused with supernatural energy, unclear and short. The conversation was curt but served the same purpose – the huge form stiffened. Just then, his vision cleared a little and he could make out the shape of Saizou and a girl with platinum colored hair; just long enough to witness the silver-haired girl (_Looks a lot like Moka, _he thought) kick the hell out of Saizou with enough force to send him through multiple trees, hit the cliff face, and bring a cascade of rocks down on his head, effectively knocking him out in one blow. She then proceeded to drag him from the rubble and throw him into the ocean, where he could be seen sinking into the (red?) depths.

Tsukune was now sure this was _not_ a dream and was scared for his short life. He didn't know this girl, but he knew instinctively that she'd kill without question if necessary. To his horror, he could see the girl walking toward him confidently, the images splitting and making doublets, triplets even, as he tried to back away.

Moans were all he could utter as she finally stood over him, hands on her hips. She said something, but he couldn't make it out. He assumed it was a threat and searched for a rock with his unbroken right hand, as the other had been broken in three places during the fall. The girl's eyes narrowed as his hand settled on very sharp rock, and kept it there, waiting. She leaned over, seemingly trying to take care of him (he noticed the choker Moka always wore, although the necklace she had on was not there and therefore he didn't make the connection – he still remembered hitting something with his hand before he passed out), but he wasn't having it. As soon as she was close (and while he was trying his hardest _not _to look at her newly exposed breasts because of how she was leaning) he slashed out with the sharp rock and cut her cheek shallowly, dripping a little blood onto one of the open wounds across his chest. This went unnoticed by both of them as she became furious, and smashed the rock from his hand with bone crushing force. At the new source of pain, he simply passed out again, useless to the world. For now.

**Author's Notes**: And that's the 2nd chapter! Sorry for the delay; as I said, I have no computer and have to rely on public ones to write. Sorry about that. I did intentionally not mention the rosary specifically, as well as the almost plagiaristic beginning. Now I can finally get the show on the road. If you have anything that can help, or have questions, please review, or send a PM! I appreciate your time, and as always, thanks for reading! Addio.


	3. Memory

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

All Tsukune could feel was the all-encompassing pain that wracked his body. He couldn't even remember how he had gotten into this situation in the first place. However, he knew somehow that the wounds were not nearly as bad as they were. After all, the silver haired girl had _broken his hand_ and it felt whole for some reason. He tried to flex the fingers, and was relieved when they responded, albeit with little feeling. Tsukune was surprised to see that nothing else was broken, either. He remembered… no details, but he knew that he should've been in much more pain than this.

One of the nurses noticed his activity and injected more painkillers to keep him docile. She told his visitor who was outside the door that he'd be well enough to be seen in a couple more hours, when he wasn't so tired. Tsukune idly wondered through the haze of pain who was trying to see him. He had no relatives here, so who would… the thought was lost as his recuperating brain finally succumbed to the drugs.

_Images, shifting in and out of focus, each trying to get his attention. He couldn't make any of them out because of the speed at which they appeared, and disappeared. He thought he could make out a silhouette of Moka, but that went before he could look at it for too long. Other shapes similar to his new friend, then more that were like the silver-haired girl that he met earlier. Powerful, imposing shapes. A looming figure rose above them all, leering down at him with the eeriest grin in the world. Two more rose to join the first, staring down at him with eyes cast in shadow. Then, a new sensation; a slow burning, coming from down below, around his torso. It wasn't bad, at first, just barely intense enough to be felt. It grew, though, slowly, spreading through his entire form, gaining in heat as it went, until it became an unbearable inferno raging in his veins, centered, for some reason, around his heart._

"GAH!" Tsukune screamed as he awoke from the nightmarish dream. Or was it a nightmare? Already he could barely remember the details. He could see the nurses filing in, trying to see what was wrong, but he gently told them he was fine, it was just a bad dream.

"In that case, your visitor can see you now," one of them said. She opened the door to let the girl in, and lo and behold, Moka shyly greeted him from the threshold. She waved and stood there, nervous, concerned, and… slightly angry at the same time.

"Hello, Moka-san," Tsukune said quietly, giving her a weak smile to show that he was (or will be) all right. The concern on her face became dominant as she walked to his side to hold his hand.

"How're you feeling, Tsukune-san?" her eyes betrayed nothing of her other personality, so the poor boy didn't make the connection. That didn't mean she fully regretted what Ura-chan had done to his hand. However, the hand was fine and functioning, much to her surprise. She didn't know why, but didn't question either, thinking the medics were exceptional at their jobs. They had to be, considering there were new patients just about every hour or so.

"Not too bad, honestly. I think I'll be able to check out in a day or so," he said with a smile. In truth, his whole body still felt like it had been rearranged with a steamroller, but he wasn't about to let Moka worry about a little thing like that. Actually, it wasn't nearly as bad as when he first woke up, which was a surprise. He didn't think wounds could heal so fast, either. Then again, these are monster doctors. Their medicine is probably much more effective than human technology. He immediately forgot about this, however, as Moka's necklace hung free from her blazer, gravity having done its work as she leaned over to get a better look at him. Images flashed through his brain so quickly that he couldn't even count them all, but he could definitely remember the fear. And the silver haired girl. He didn't necessarily recognize it, but his subconscious did, and he was terrified for a good few seconds. Moka, naturally, noticed this.

"Tsukune, what's wrong?"

"N-n-nothing at all, M-Moka-san!" Tsukune said, his voice wavering dangerously.

"You're a bad liar, Tsukune-san. Now please, tell me what's wrong," Moka commanded, her usually sweet demeanor darkening slightly.

Tsukune's resolve diminished exponentially in the face of that look. "W-well, I thought I was hurt pretty bad from that fight with Saizou," he explained. "But I'm feeling much better than I think I should be."

At this, Moka's eyebrows knit together for a split second before returning to normal. Tsukune noticed it, but didn't say anything. "Then I'm glad you're feeling better, Tsukune-san," she said carefully. "I'll just leave you to your rest. You should get as much as you can!" And with that, she left, heading to the girls' dorms to get some sleep; it was only a couple hours after the fight, and she was tired. Tsukune was sad to see her go, though, but he knew it was for the best. It wouldn't be much fun for either of them to sit there, saying nothing for an hour or two. In her room, Moka sat Indian-style on her bed, pondering Tsukune's words. _How__ had he recovered so quickly? Injuries like his don't take a mere hour to heal, and there's no way he's an S-class monster. _She thought back to what her other self had done – kicking the hell out of Saizou, breaking his hand for cutting her, then carrying him to the infirmary. She regretted her inner self's actions, but she knew her inner self wouldn't have responded any other way. Also, how could he remove her seal? Her father had told her that her seal was the final promise, that she could never go back to her normal self. The fact that her inner self can be released now changed things. Considerably. Which brought back memories of the fight, and Inner Moka's first meeting with Tsukune. Omote had made no exaggerations; he was cute, in a scared innocent sort of way, but the way he reacted to her… it made her angry and morose at the same time.

Then she remembered she had never told Tsukune about her inner self, or what she really was in general. She knew it was against school rules, but because of their unique situation, it was only natural she tell him. After all, she was a _vampire_ sucking his _blood_. These are things that must be explained. She eventually decided to tell Tsukune about her vampiric nature the next morning. After all, he had seemed really unsettled by Inner's appearance, and she didn't want a repeat of what happened last time. With the decision made, she finally drifted off to sleep, not even going under the covers because of the intensity of her musings. The rosary, however, kept active, the eye in the center swirling broodingly. Inner Moka was remembering her first encounter with the boy.

X-X

The dreaming world had become a habitual pandemonium for him, and this time was no different. All kinds of different vague images drifted in an out of view, just like the first time. As before, none of them were ever clear enough to make out faces. After a while of this horror, the shapes coalesced into one huge line up of beasts, their faces finally coming into view, which only served to deepen the monstrous effect. Their eyes, though, betrayed fear…

The crowd parted to reveal another figure, still cloaked in shadows, walking toward him. His eyes were a demonic blood red, glowing with an eerie light, as if his eyes were backlit. His hair was silver, swaying back and forth with each step. The demon's eyes narrowed, and Tsukune's fear peaked. He finally screamed, wrenching himself from the dream with violent force.

The hospital smell hit him full on in the face as he shot upright, drenched in a cold sweat, panting heavily. Already the nightmarish dream was fading, but he knew it would come again. It hadn't stopped for the past three nights, and wouldn't break routine. _At least I can see Moka-san again today, _he thought. _It's been a while since her visit… I miss Moka-san…_

Meanwhile, Moka was just about ready to go to school and was brushing her hair when a thought from the rosary surfaced. It was more like a memory, really. _I bled when he cut me…_


	4. Bond of Blood

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

_My blood entered his body when he cut me,_ she thought. Of course! That was how he healed so quickly. This also brought out another blatant realization; Tsukune was human. His smell, his blood's delicious taste, his overreaction to the monsters of Youkai, his completely weak demeanor… it all made sense now. At this, though, she was surprised he had taken to the school so willingly. After all, he was the only human in the entire dimension and just about everyone else had enough power in their left pinky to break almost every bone in his body. Not only that, but he had been so kind to her, she had mistaken him for a monster in his own right. He hadn't hated her like so many others had in middle school, teasing her about her monstrous side. Somehow, it only made him more endearing… but Ura-chan was in a pride-induced rage.

_How dare he, a lowly human, associate himself with _me?! Her fuming was futile, however, for the rosary kept her from doing anything physical. It sure gave poor Outer Moka headaches, though… in any case, she was sure to show him his place when she was next released, after Outer Moka had a good long talk with him, that is. After all, Tsukune had checked out today, much to the baffled protests of the nurses.

When she walked to the main road to school on their usual path, she decided to wait for him no matter what. This became a problem, however, for he was nowhere to be seen for a good five minutes. Her fingers started playing with themselves in response to her growing anxiety of being late and him not being here. Just before her resolve broke, he appeared from beneath the trees, off the path, and stumbling towards her, as if pleading for her help.

"Tsukune…?" she called, walking toward him. There was obviously something wrong with him; his eyes were downcast, hair disheveled, and he seemed to be… lurching, like he was barely able to stay upright.

"…way," he said. Moka asked if he could speak louder. Her fear was prominent now, worried sick for how _weird _he was acting.

_I would take caution here, Omote, _Inner Moka told her. _He seems… dangerous._

She physically shook her head in denial of the fact that kind and caring Tsukune could ever be dangerous. He just wasn't like that.

"I SAID STAY AWAY!" he screamed, startling her. His eyes were boring down on her now, and his irises, she noticed, were swirling with a mix of desire, fear, anger, and… _red._

X-X

_Earlier that morning…_

Tsukune woke up with a start, the nightmare having dominated his dreams again. Naturally, he was in a cold sweat, so he cleaned himself off with a bath and got dressed for school. His wounds were all but healed now, for some reason. Either way, he was glad to be back. It was too much not being able to see Moka for any extended period of time. All of his thoughts revolved around her as he pulled on his blazer and headed out the door.

He was almost to the path when his nose caught a rather delicious smell. His throat burned, and he started stumbling toward the source, mesmerized by the tantalizing promise of a wonderful drink. He cut through the trees to get to it faster, but he soon realized that he remembered this smell, only it was at least thirty times stronger than the first time he came across it.

_It's Moka, _he thought in complete terror. _It's the same smell I encountered when she ran me over with her bike, and I can't stop myself from this raging desire_.

He could see her now, waiting for him, obviously wanting to get something off her back. Perhaps she wanted to talk to him about something important, but it didn't matter now. All he could concentrate on was her delicious smell, and he _wanted _her. He wanted her blood so bad his throat screamed for it, and he was powerless to resist. His ruckus and unusual gait caught her attention, and to his horror, she came bounding over to him, making the desire ever the more powerful.

He remembered now. The time when he cut that silver haired woman's cheek. Her blood had fell upon Tsukune's open wound, and now that insignificant little drop had cursed him with a monster's wanton desire. Only he didn't have the temperament to control it. He subconsciously noted that it was, in fact, vampire blood that had entered his veins. He could tell, because now his vision seemed to be pulsating with every beat of his heart as he got closer to dear Moka, and the edges were being tainted with a sea of dark red. His abdomen seemed to be burning as if it were on fire, and his pulse was so quick he could hear a roaring in his ears. His hands were visibly trembling, and his arms shook with the clash of wills the two bloods within him now waged. His only sane thought was not a thought, but a pure instinctual urge to keep his precious Moka away from him. He never wanted to hurt her, under _any _circumstances. And here he was, getting ready to do it in the most ironic way.

She asked him to speak louder, as if she didn't hear what he was thinking clearly. His throat, however, told him he had said something, and he knew that his pure desire to keep her safe had formed the words he couldn't consciously coordinate.

_**Stay away. **_

He knew that her curiosity and worry would compel her to check on him to make sure he was fine. But no, oh kami no he was _not _fine. He wanted to drain his best friend dry and he wanted to do it out of pure want. His split mindset gathered all of its revulsion at the idea and sent it to his vocal chords, which sent forth his mental anguish at the current problem.

"STAY AWAY!" he screamed, startling her. His control was slipping, especially with his last ditch effort to make her realize he was dangerous, that he was a problem. The tingling in his arms increased exponentially at her apparent fear. His legs moved forward of their own volition, wanting to please (or ease) the desire raging inside.

"Ts-Tsukune-san?" Moka asked, scared out of her wits. He kept creeping closer, taking forever, yet to her it seemed he couldn't go any faster.

Inner Moka was screaming, urging her to do something, but she couldn't listen; the words were unintelligible. He was only half an American foot from her now, and still steadily lurching slowly toward her.

"Tsukune, please…" she whispered. Tears slowly crept down her face, surprising the struggling boy merely inches away and stopping him dead in his tracks. There was no thought in his head as he took in this new phenomenon; he had never encountered a _crying girl _before. How do you handle such a thing? As one who had absolutely no contact with girls his age beforehand, he was stumped.

But the bloodlust knew what to do.

His head slowly leaned forward, almost like a marionette's, leaning instinctively to the vein in her neck where the blood pumped thickest. Unbeknownst to either of them, Tsukune's canines had marginally transformed into fangs, the monster blood providing the change. The smell was almost irresistible now, his lips mere millimeters away from her skin. Moka had no idea what exactly was going on, but fear paralyzed her, keeping her from reacting in any way. Tsukune's lips parted, preparing for the release he so desperately craved...

And wrapped his arms around her in a tense bear hug, straining with the tension, putting his face over her shoulder.

"Ts-Tsukune-san?"

"Something's happened to me, Moka-san," he explained. "I've been feeling really weird as of late. Water tastes like lemons, and I can't seem to see clearly; everything has a red tinge to it. And worst of all, I can't seem to shake this feeling that you're the most delectable drink on the whole planet. I can't explain it; I want to bite you, but the feeling makes me sick."

Moka's eyes widened to emerald saucers at his explanation, then fell back to a knowing gaze as she put her arms around his trembling back. _Is he really crying?_

_He seems to be an awakened vampire, _Inner Moka told her outer recognized the signs now. _These things happen all the time. Way back when where humans went on superstition driven hunts to destroy monsters, vampires, as well as _all_ races, did their best to blend in before the human hordes annihilated us all. We could have handled them easily, but we were spread far and wide, and the vampire population was nothing like it was today. So we stopped drinking blood and restrained our youki to near-deathly levels, and the results created near human vampires that looked completely normal. I see now that after a time, these 'dormant' monsters bred with regular humans, creating a hybrid with a... recessive youkai gene, you could say. I see now that the drop of blood he received earlier has awakened the dormant blood of his own, and the process, as he told us, is very strenuous, but slow-going._

She was able to tell all of this to her other self in seconds, seeing as mental thought goes nearly thrice as fast as verbal speech. It all made sense to her now, but she was still surprised that the in-between was so... frightening. After all, he had looked ready to kill her with that frenzy roaring behind those normally gentle globes...

"It's okay, Tsukune-san," she whispered. "You can have some of my blood if you want."

He suddenly stiffened, aghast that she would offer her lifeblood so willingly. Inner Moka was... well, let's not say stricken, but she was furious her outer self would offer something so vital to this almost random boy who was becoming a vampire before her eyes. She knew that more vampire blood would be necessary to complete the process lest he become a ghoul-like maniac, but the more powerful the blood that started it, the more powerful the end result. And that, my friends, is _completely unacceptable._ There will be absolutely no youkai whatsoever more powerful than her, even if it was only a chance; the auxiliary blood was also a determining factor in the strength of the new vampire, not just the trigger. Not only that, but a vampire's blood was their pride and joy, the source of their power. Without their demonic blood, they would be nothing more than exceptionally beautiful people. It provided the strength to their attacks, the capacity to their minds, and the vitality to their very beings. To give up something so precious to a boy she barely knows... the thought repulses her.

Outer Moka didn't care for any of that, however. Her coveted 'demonic blood' caused her to be the source of envy for every girl in the human schools she attended, made her diet a huge hassle to maintain because of the difficulty to acquire O-type blood packs, and made her dangerously vulnerable to the very thing humans use most every day in their lives: water. Who cares if she gives some of it to her very first real friend since her estrangement?

Tsukune, however, was (unwittingly) on the same boat as Inner Moka. This was his first female friend, and everything he was raised to believe rebelled against the idea of _biting _her. To take something so important to a (vampire, he realized as he thought about it) person like her... well, it would be like taking a doctor's certificate of authentication. That, and it certainly wasn't pleasant to have someone sink their teeth into your neck and drain your lifeblood, regardless of how little they take (vampires only need about three to four ounces a day, while the human body produces more than a pint a day. It's an evolutionary advancement to escape notice back when there were no handy facilities like blood banks). He refused to take something so valuable from her, regardless of whether or not she gave her permission.

There was a noticeable crowd gathering around the two now, wondering if they were fighting or just making out vigorously. The early ones knew it wasn't normal though, because they had heard the scream that the boy made beforehand. Murmurs floated around, trying to explain the weird duo that were just... standing there. Tsukune, because of his hyper-active state, was able to catch some of this even though they were a good distance away.

"Is he making out with her?"

"No man, he's obviously just giving her a hug."

"_I _want to be hugging Moka-chan!"

"Cut it out, man! Don't you see how they're shaking? That guy's trying to rape her."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

A vein was pulsing steadily in Tsukune's forehead by this point, and while he wasn't far enough ahead in the transformation to hurt her, Moka noticed how tightly he was gripping her.

"Tsukune-san, we should go. Come on, I'll take you to the infirmary again."

"I think that's sexy." Said voice coming from between them, causing both to stiffen all over again.

The retort died in Tsukune's throat from sheer shock of the blunt statement, while he physically felt the heat coming from Moka's blushing face. Which, of course, only served to make the hunger all the more obnoxious.

Mizore Shirayuki stood between them, tilting her head and staring absentmindedly at the two who seemed to be on the verge of going down to the ground. She was honestly curious about what the two were doing, but she found it fun to both observe and mess with them.

Moka shifted, wanting to escape his hug, and managed to get him to let go and turned to face this weird girl intruding on their space.

"Just who do you think you are?" she snapped, her voice dripping poison. If this girl didn't give a good reason as to just why she was coming out and saying such dirty things, there would be hell to pay.

"Why, I'm a snow woman, silly," she said as if it were obvious. Her voice was still soft and barely audible to the rest of them. "And I think PDAs are sweet, even though they are against the rules." A sly smirk ghosted on her face, making the porcelain doll effect almost eerily real.

Tsukune, seeing where this is going (and still able to restrain the thirst because of the newcomer), proceeded to unceremoniously drag Moka away, much to Mizore's disappointment. She let it go, though, because she saw how Moka's jaw was still rigid. After all, she could still join in on the fun later, when there weren't so many spectators around.

X-X

"Here, take this," Moka commanded, shoving a can of tomato juice under her friend's chin. "It'll help curb the need."

"I dunno about this, Moka-san..." Tsukune replied. He saw her drink the stuff just about every day, but he still wasn't sure why he had to, as well. Her face scrunched up in a frown, though, and the cuteness was just too much to handle, so he accepted the can and took a small sip. To his surprise and Moka's satisfaction, it did indeed help quite a lot. The two were sitting on the bench next to the vending machine where Saizou first decided to beat the living crap out of Tsukune. It was right after homeroom (which Tsukune barely went through without starting trouble), and Moka was preparing to help Tsukune understand what exactly was happening to him. That, and she was still fuming about the creepy snow girl's intrusion. Said snow girl was watching them intently from one of her many hiding spots, but they didn't need to know that.

After Tsukune drained the poor can and she calmly finished hers, she told him about what Inner Moka had told her while he had came lurching toward her. It took her quite awhile, as she told him all about vampire history, and why he was experiencing such weird phenomenon. His face went through many emotions, ranging from curiosity, at first, to fear, to anger, to curiosity again, and finally to resignation. She cut out her own history, though; she was still uncertain about how he was going to turn out. Deep down, she trusted him, but Ura-chan would not have her tossing about the history of the Shuzens like it was a mere toy.

"So you're saying I'm a... a vampire now? Just like you?" he asked, still trying to wrap his head around such a monumental concept.

"Not exactly. You're more like a... dhampyr at this point than a full vampire, but eventually your blood _will_ fully awaken and you'll be just like me." She started to pout, disheartened that she had caused this. "I'm sorry, Tsukune-san, I didn't mean to do this to you." Her head fell, wanting to drown in the self-induced sorrow that overcame her.

"I don't blame you for this, Moka-san," he said before she did anything rash. "After all, I was the one who cut that woman's cheek, not you. If anything, I only have myself to blame for this. It's not like I was completely human in the first place."

Her eyes lifted to meet his, searching them for a trace of lies. This stopped, however, when she finally realized that he still didn't know about her other self, and how she had meant to tell him more about her background.

"About that, Tsukune-san..." she started. His head snapped to her gaze, curiosity burning in his red-and-brown irises (they still hadn't changed back, and wouldn't unless his blood was sealed again). "You see, this rosary cross I wear is a seal of sorts, but for youkai. It's for monsters who are too powerful to assume a human form, such as vampires or true devils. The only thing is, when I had mine crafted, it caused some... complications and split my personality. You see, Tsukune-san, that silver haired girl you saw that day, was my vampire self."

Tsukune sat back, taking all of this in. It sure was a lot; seemingly dainty Moka had a split personality that could destroy entire cliffs with one blow, because she was a vampire, and he and his family were part of an ancient (and hopefully powerful, he thought to himself) vampires that went back centuries to when Japan had first been inhabited by people. He was glad, though, beneath all of the implications. From what he knew, vampires only chose partners from their own race, too proud to have any business with lesser beings, and they were immortal, said to be capable of living for as long as they wish. He definitely believed that one, since he had experienced firsthand the ridiculous healing powers of vampire blood. But what of his parents? Were he to slip some of his blood into their diet, would they too become vampires like himself? He didn't want to think about such things right now. Mostly because the thirst was back with a vengeance, having only been sated for a couple of minutes by the pathetic substitute for blood he had taken.

Moka noticed her friend's glazed eyes and how he was slowly leaning to her neck again, and quickly dragged him up. "Come on! We have to get to class before we're late!" Poor Tsukune was too startled to do anything but tag along, left to deal with the problem himself. Moka, however, had decided to help him with the transformation process after an internal debate with Inner Moka, but she was going to do so on her own terms, not Tsukune's.

**Author's Notes:** And there's chapter 4! Inspiration flew into my face, hence the longer chapter. And some good news! I have acquired a 10 year old laptop to further my writing, so you can expect quicker updates (if I'm not too lazy) than before. Also, can you guys tell me if I'm keeping the character's personalities in line? I can't tell :( Thanks for reading, and if you have any questions, PM me, please! I'll be glad to try and answer them without spoiling the plot! (Yes, I have actually planned the whole thing) Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	5. Battle for Dominance

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

The duo had managed to get through the entire day without any incidents (there were a few close calls, though), but after school, Tsukune's thirst was on the verge of overcoming him. Moka knew this, but she didn't have any new ideas of how to help him, other than the obvious. But that would be the biggest mistake; overfeeding a new blood in the process of transforming could throw the whole thing off-kilter and the surge of youki could instead turn the lost soul into a ghoul. Granted, Tsukune had only a single drop to jump-start the vampirism, but by the intensity of his body's response and Moka's super-powerful blood, it was too dangerous to plow on ahead at this point. So they wait.

Until then, she'd try to keep him out of trouble and avoid his fangs at the same time. This was becoming a problem, though, as he was practically hovering around her neck the entire time as they were walking back to the dorms after school ended.

"Seriously, Tsukune-san, you need to control yourself," she admonished, pushing his head away for the umpteenth time that day.

"But you know how it is, Moka-san! It feels like my throat's on fire!"

_Well, I can't _honestly _say I know how it feels... but it must be a lot worse than normal_. Out loud, she told him how he just had to deal with it for now if he didn't want to lose his sanity. At that, his expression hardened, and he dragged his head away. They had arrived at the fork in the path that led to either dorm, and Tsukune was sweating again. Moka pitied him, but precautions must be made if it were to continue safely.

"You know what, Tsukune-san? I'll give you a present, if you turn around and hold your breath."

His eyebrows rose slightly in question, but he complied anyway, if anything just to humor her. Unbeknownst to him, though, she was going to give him exactly what he wanted. Using her supernatural strength, she made a small cut in her left thumb and dabbed it with her other, then sealed it using her tongue.

"Okay, Tsukune-san, you can turn around now, but you must be careful."

When he saw the blood on her hand his pupils dilated, excited at the instinctual level of the prospect of more blood. She let him lick it tentatively from the tip, and a low purr crept from deep in his chest. Her eyes almost automatically rolled in response, but she stopped herself.

"All right, that's enough. That ought to hold you over for the next day or two."

"It was... delectable, Moka-san... but it doesn't seem as strong as the first time." He was remembering the dream of the fire in his veins, and how it seemed like he would combust from the inside.

_The seal must affect the potency of our blood, _Inner Moka observed, startling her outer self. _It makes sense, but I don't like it. _She didn't know the true reason as to why her blood had to be sealed in such a way, but those memories were still locked within the depths of the rosary. Also, this could mean Moka could give him more blood if he needed it without overstepping the bounds; he wouldn't have to suffer so much. She visibly brightened at this, and quickly gave Tsukune a hug (and quickly stole a bit of his blood while she was at it) and waved him away.

While Tsukune was surprised, he simply accepted it as he does with many of the odd occurrences that tend to happen at Youkai, and made his way to the men's dorms, still savoring the taste of his best friend's blood, even if it wasn't as tasty as her inner self's. He absently wondered if he could get some of her's sometime, then thought about how she completely destroyed Saizou and thought better of it. _That _was one barrier he would not cross under any circumstances whatsoever.

X-X

Mizore watched the two go separate ways, interested by the little exchange they just shared. _Is Tsukune-kun really a vampire? _She was rather excited by the prospect of such a handsome young man also having such a huge amount of power, but it wasn't (and never will be) the main reason she was attracted to him. In fact, it was because he was so... _different_. She had been watching him, and everybody else, as she normally does, since they first came to school. Mizore never fancied school as being something of value to her – snow women had no use for higher education. So she busied herself with spying on the other students, especially the male variety. And this boy stood out like a sore thumb. It was as if he didn't belong here, but he was going to attend anyway; that, and he had such a kind personality. She had, in fact, seen how the two friends had first met, and their ensuing closeness. Not that she cared much for the cotton candy-haired girl. All she represented was an obstacle to her precious one.

Mizore followed him discreetly, always staying inside his shadow, using any and all parts of the environment to keep him in sight. It was her most favored skill; to see without being seen. Her mother had been the same way when she was younger, and Mizore had inherited her apparent timidness. Not that she knew any different; she actually quite enjoyed watching people when they thought they were alone with themselves. She noticed that when he first came here, Tsukune seemed to always watch his back, as if a monster would come charging out of the blackness to eat him and gnaw on his bones. But now, he walked confidently, as any other monster when going home to catch some sleep. It certainly helped with his attractiveness. The idea made her blush just thinking about it.

He had made it to the dorm entrance now, so she waited patiently in one of the trees in the middle of the courtyard separating the two dorms. Naturally, she had already memorized the room he stayed in. He wasn't much for the athletic type, but at least he wasn't fat.

A smile crept to her lips as she saw his light flicker on, signaling his arrival to the room. She always enjoyed seeing him undress and prepare for bed. This time, however, she noticed a huge difference; his physique was much more defined. And not like she was able to see muscle now, it was more like he had been lifting weights for the past three months. _What happened, Tsukune-kun? You look so... sexy,_ she thought. An eyebrow was raised when he started brushing his teeth and she could easily see his much more defined biceps working as his arm dashed back and forth.

All in all, she attributed the recent change to a lack of perception on her part and vowed to keep a much closer eye on this fascinating boy. After all, it's not like she was going to just let that candy-haired goody two shoes steal her choice from her. Mizore resumed stalking him after her muse ended, and stayed there for a good hour and a half, watching him sleep. Even his sleep was disturbed, she noted. He tossed and turned, his mouth opening and closing, as if pleading for his life in his sleep. Pondering this phenomenon, she succumbed to the drowsiness and headed off to her own dorm room. It still confused her how he had changed in only two days, but she was determined to solve the mystery of a boy named Tsukune Aono.

X-X

Tsukune was still riding on the wave of joy the blood Moka had so generously offered had given him as he walked to the men's dorms. Yet even through the rather short-lived bliss, he swore he could sense he was not alone. He let it go, though. A few days after coming here, he had nervously asked a curious Moka if there were any monsters that stalked their prey in the night and stole them away to eat them. She had replied with a laughter filled "No, silly! There are no monsters that do that anymore!" After that, he had never been afraid of the dark in this creepy school, but this time he could genuinely feel someone watching him.

The thought fled when he finally reached the dorm and made his way to his room. Regardless of the general amiability of the student populace, Tsukune still didn't trust them completely and locked his door with three different types: the standard knob-lock, a newly installed deadbolt, and a military grade sliding bolt with a rated capacity of 300 kilograms. He wasn't taking any chances.

Either way, it was still an exhausting day having to deal with trying to not bleed your best friend dry for a solid six hours, and he prepared to go to bed, undressing and brushing his teeth. As he stared at himself in the mirror, however, he noticed that his upper body was now muscle-bound, his shoulders rounded with ropes of muscle, and his biceps had a visible bulge to them. _Well that's a nice side effect,_ he thought. Automatically becoming physically fit was a small, yet most welcomed addition to the perks of being a vampire. He tested the muscles in his torso to see how they responded, and was genuinely pleased to see his entire upper body ripple with power. A ghost of a smile floated around his lips, but it was short-lived as the new occurrence brought back thoughts of how it would affect his family.

He didn't want to think about this, _couldn't _think about this right now. He was tired, and another whole school day awaited him tomorrow. Just because he was going through a devastating inner turmoil didn't mean he was excused from classes, although he would much like to be. A heavy sigh escaped his lips, and he sauntered over to his bed, slipping under the one cover, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. And of course, the dreams (or were they nightmares? He couldn't discern the difference) plagued his sleep.

_While the looming figures arose once again, they seemed to be far off, away and therefore out of his range of focus. One thing was noticeably different, though; he felt energized, as if he could run for kilometers on end without even breaking a sweat, or lifting a car over his head if he really felt like it. Also gone was the inherent fear he always felt when he came here. Now, it all seemed familiar, no longer a place of terror, but something akin to a familial meeting room. He was no longer scared of the general environment, but there was one he still held in complete disgust and revulsion; the man with red eyes. He had only got one glimpse of him during a visit two nights ago,but he knew the man was nothing but trouble._

_Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear, the man approached from Tsukune's right, now fully visible except for his face. He noticed a form fitting trench coat with buckles strapping the ends together across his chest and red coloring the sleeves. The tail, also colored a deep blood red __on the top, flowed behind him in an ethereal wind, unfelt by Tsukune. The figure wore fingerless gloves that had holes in the tops, and tight leathery pants that, honestly, could be made of anything. Adorning his feet were identical Gothic boots with clasps that ran along the sides that also served to keep them on his feet. His silver hair fell unkempt over his eyes, hiding the left one in the silver bangs. This still didn't hinder the menace emanated by the remaining right, boring into Tsukune's. The figure kept a good distance away, watching him with contempt._

"_What do you want?!" Tsukune yelled at him._

_The figure stands undaunted, seemingly laughing at him with a smirk playing along his face._

"_Stay the hell away from me!" he screamed at the man. Unknown to Tsukune, youki now swarmed around him in a maelstrom only a few levels lower than Inner Moka's own, drowning out all thought in the wake of the vicious energy. Again, the figure stands unaffected, mocking him with his indifference. In spite of Tsukune's rage, the man turned, his coat end flowing out behind him, as he walked slowly away. Somehow, Tsukune thought he could still hear the man laughing at his petty attempt at intimidation._

X-X

"So how are you today, Moka-san?" Tsukune asked as they met up at their familiar spot and started walking to school, neither noticing the ice blue eyes keeping watch from the trees.

"I feel pretty good, actually," she replied with her usual cheerful demeanor. She had had a fine and restful sleep, only interrupted by hunger in the morning, but that was quickly quenched by some blood from a reserve pack she kept in the mini fridge. She turned to ask him the same out of courtesy, but stopped when she noticed the obvious bags under his eyes. Which told her all about he had held up last night. She had noticed how the transformation had kept him from getting any form of rest during the night. He hadn't told her about the dreams yet, but she still pitied him for how the whole thing was sapping at his very vitality. Well, his mind's, at least. What she _had_ noticed was how the new vampire blood had given him more defined muscles, and because his wardrobe was fitted for a much slimmer student, his new physique shone painfully through, even when restrained by the blazer's form-hiding capability. Then again, those things were great at adapting to rapid changes. After all, he had seen one still holding strong when a minotaur had lost control, for Pete's sake. Either way, Moka still admired how he was turning out as a strapping young man, and that made her all the more attached to him.

Then again, Mizore noticed this too from her hiding spot behind the garbage can.

"Restless sleep again last night, huh, Tsukune-san?"

"Yeah..." he sighed. "I've been having these weird dreams late-"

"HEY AONO, COME FIGHT ME!" screamed a voice from the crowd. The two's heads turned in the general direction of the aggravation. Moka was sincerely debating whether or not to make Tsukune remove her rosary to deal with such an insulting remark, but she saw Tsukune step forward, keeping her behind him in an almost unconscious decision to protect her. Coming to meet him was a gangly young first year with more attitude than brawn and brain combined. He was visibly shorter than Tsukune and had almost none of the muscle to boot. All in all, a weak troublemaker.

"We heard rumors you were sleeping with Moka last night, chump!" he spat. "I think it's time I taught you a lesson! No one messes with the hottest girl in school and gets away with it!"

Tsukune's face blanched, practically devoid of all color, while Moka's was completely beet red. He quickly recovered though, and rolled his shoulders, half in show of his now powerful deltoids, and half in preparation. He would _not_ take that kind of crap from anybody, but more importantly, he embarrassed Moka in front of dozens of students, and that, friends and neighbors, was totally out of the question.

"You want a fight? You asked for it!" Tsukune called, trying to jest the opponent into making the first move. He even put the icing on the cake by beckoning to him and dancing from foot to foot. Predictably, the first year charged, morphing into his monster form at the same time.

_A minotaur, eh? Well, that explains the absolute lack of tact, _he thought. He noticed that the beast, it seemed, moved in near slow motion, as if he this were his first fight and he didn't know what to do. Tsukune was sincerely puzzled, but decided to go with it and casually sidestepped the oncoming fool. Almost as an afterthought, he stuck his foot out, not even looking in the beast's direction.

"Grrraaah!" the boy grunted as he fell face first into the dirt. "You'll pay for that, Aono!" On the inside, though, he was silently wondering whether this was a good idea. Any minotaur can generate a charge that is at least 40 kilometers per hour on the spot, and this guy just stepped out of the way as if he were letting an old grandmother pass by. Not many youkai could move that quickly.

Moka was thinking much the same thing. She had _never _seen him move so fast. Not even when he had tried taking on Saizou. Could it really be that quick? Was she giving him too much blood too quickly? Or was he just really that strong? It could be any of those things, or none of them. She would have to draw conclusions later, because the minotaur decided to pull his ace out of his sleeve.

"Behold! The Minotaurs' favored Trident of Judgment! Now you'll pay, poser!" The minotaur held out his hand as if catching something, and to everyone's half-interested awe, a trident did indeed take form in his palm, probably generated from his youki itself. Now things really would get interesting. A weapon wielder against an unarmed opponent? Unfair, but these are ayashi we're talking about.

The monster once again charged, sticking the trident out like a spear. Which was the wrong thing to do. Tsukune simply sidestepped again, but this time, he swooped in and put an elbow in the weak spot on his ribs, punched his bicep to weaken it, put a jab in his jaw for good measure, and tore the weapon from the beast's hands, all in one graceful motion. Not to mention he didn't even know how he was doing it, but everyone else didn't know that. Nor did they need to. Jaws were understandably hanging open all around the crowd, Moka's included. They didn't know this quiet boy was so talented (or trained) in hand to hand combat. Professional disarms are hard to master, and require complete focus as well as accurate strikes to take the weapon without putting oneself in danger of reciprocation.

Tsukune simply tossed the weapon away, and beckoned once again in a 'Come on!' gesture, taunting him. Just like he intended, this enraged the already dazed beast to no end, and he brought forth one final charge to end it all, lowering his stout horns to skewer him clean through.

The dhampyr had been expecting this, as he executed yet another graceful maneuver, this time in the form of a somersault, over the deadly horns and caught one with an open hand, essentially hijacking the monster. He settled in on the minotaur's back, poking his legs over the shoulders and riding on them like one would a horse, or other large beast of burden.

"Hyah! Charge, boy, charge!" he yelled, adrenaline overcharging his brain. The jouncing and bouncing was unfelt by the man riding the minotaur, and it only served to encourage him to hold on longer, extending the free ride. After a bit, though, the charging beast was tiring, so Tsukune gave in and decided to end it right there and then with a powerful elbow to the back of his head that had enough force to crush concrete. The poor youkai was out cold in an instant.

The crowd, satisfied the fight had amused them for a couple of minutes, dispersed to go back to whatever it was they were doing beforehand. Moka, however, stayed and watched, her mouth still agape in response to Tsukune's apparent newfound prowess. The question still hung in the air; how in the nine hells did he know how to do all that?

"Are you okay, Moka-san? You seem a little shocked," he remarked, walking over to her. She quickly recovered and brushed it off, her eyes darting to and fro.

"It's just... wow, Tsukune-san! How did you do that? Were you taught self defense back at home or something?"

"N-no... it just sort of... came to me, you know?" he said, stammering from the unexpected praise.

_It seems his battle instincts are already well established, _Inner Moka thought, startling her outer self for the hundredth time. _You really ought to warn me if you're going to intrude like that, Ura-chan!_

Inner Moka just rolled her phantom eyes and resumed sleeping inside the seal. Tsukune, his perception sharper than normal, noticed the internal conversation, but didn't comment on it. He attributed it to Inner Moka. Speaking of whom, he still wanted to meet her properly, but was still unreasonably terrorized by her for some reason. He would keep that dog in its kennel until the time was right.

"W-well, you didn't have to do that for me, but I must sincerely thank you, Tsukune-san," Moka said with a smile. "I think you deserve a reward. Can you control yourself?"

Tsukune knew what she was about to do and decided to keep breathing evenly, deciding to test his resolve not to go berserk at the first smell of her blood. When the aroma entered his nostrils, he stiffened rather rigidly, but didn't move. This time, though, she kept the wound flowing and didn't stop it herself.

"I trust you, Tsukune-san. Only take a little bit," she told him quietly. He didn't move for a solid half minute, not trusting himself entirely. He exposed his fangs unconsciously though, and he slowly closed the distance between them, bending over to put his head closer to the slightly oozing cut. When his tongue slowly lapped up the blood, his pupils dilated and the beast within struggled ever more violently to sate its thirst. Moka gasped at the sudden unexpected pleasure it brought. She didn't know having another vampire (well, technically a dhampyr, but basically the same thing) drink her blood in such a tantalizing manner could feel so good. He only drank for about ten seconds, but it felt like an eternity for both of them. Tsukune quickly licked the wound clean, not trusting himself to withhold himself any longer.

_Wow..._ was their only thought. "Well, we better get to class, now that all this nonsense is over with," Moka said through a shaky voice. She quickly grabbed his hand in a vice-like grip and dragged him toward the school. Being late was still unacceptable for a vampire of her standing, and she would not be late because of Tsukune's shenanigans.

All throughout the day, Tsukune couldn't keep his eyes off Moka. She had taken some of his blood in return for his snack this morning, and the taste of her own blood mixed with his was almost indescribable. They may be best friends, but almost everyone could easily see how they stared at each other like they were legs of meat cooking over a low fire. They assumed it was just high school love and left it at that. The fight this morning still rang in their heads, and they didn't want to mess with a skilled fighter like Tsukune.

X-X

Mizore had, of course, seen how Tsukune had fought that minotaur like a master plays with a student, and how he had later sunk his fangs into Moka's arm, drinking her blood like it was water and he was just coming in from a desert. By this point, she had no doubts that he was in fact a vampire, and by how she seemed to latch onto his neck every morning as well, she could only guess she was one as well. The only thing left to figure out was just how powerful these two S-class monsters were. A mated pair of vampires were not something to trifle with, especially if they were in love with each other as to share that much blood on a daily basis. If it were Tsukune who was powerful and Moka was not, Mizore would try her damnedest to steal him away from the vampiress. But if it were reversed... she had second thoughts. If they were _both _super vampires of legend... well, that just wasn't possible. Two youkai of that caliber meeting as soon as they arrived at school and mating almost immediately showed odds that just didn't exist. Unless they were related... but they looked nothing like each other, and incest was generally viewed as repulsive among vampires as well.

_What to do, what to do... _she thought, her inner voice devoid of emotion. All she could hope for was to catch Tsukune in action a couple more times, and hopefully see Moka fight as well. Then she could properly assess their abilities and act appropriately. Patience was of utmost importance at this point, and patience was Mizore's middle name (well, not really, but you get the point). So she kept her silent vigil outside his window as she did every night, unbothered by lurkers of the night, for she was one herself.

X-X

Tsukune was prepared for an eventful day, but nothing really happened after the morning's escapade. Classes went by as normal, save for the pleasurable lack of need for blood today, and he even seemed to be doing better in his classes now that he was half vampire. Which was great, considering his less than admirable grades had landed him here in the first place.

"Hey Moka-san?" he asked as they sat in the cafeteria, eating mushy chicken teriyaki and almost tasteless miso soup.

"Hai?"

"I've been doing much better in class ever since my blood's awakening. That wouldn't be a side effect, would it?"

She knew very well that it was in fact the blood's fault – vampires were not known just for their superiority in physical aspects. Their minds had to be just as keen to match their prowess on the field. But she decided to tease him and tell him nothing about it, so she just smiled and looked away, apparently distracted by the bland sky that seemed to be moping about itself out the window.

Of course, he knew her well enough to see through this facade and thought he'd play along.

"Well, gee, Moka-san, it couldn't possibly be because I've been sitting next to you all this time, huh? After all, you're ranked thirteen out of the entire school!"

The witty riposte to her silent dismissal was almost too much a shock for her, and the praise, albeit being the polish on the blade, made her blush to a pretty cherry color. Tsukune knew he won when that familiar blush crept up her neck, but he let it slide. Time for a new topic, anyway. Moka herself just hoped he wouldn't be this perceptive in the future. Such things could be dangerous if left unchecked... not that he'd use it against her.

They ate in relative peace, Moka still watching him out of the corner of her eye, but still exchanging amiable small talk. It would've been a completely normal lunch, too, if another punk similar in appearance to the first year this morning stomped up to their table.

"Hey Aono, what do you think you're doing, going around beating up people like that? My friend didn't deserve to be embarrassed in front of his entire Trigonometry class like that! You ought to pay for such insolence!"

_Oh here we go, _the two sitting at the table thought in sync.

"Well don't just sit there!" he whined in that annoying brat's voice. "Get up and face retribution!"

"Retribution?" Tsukune growled, menace dripping from his voice like poison. "You're saying you want _retribution_? Oh, but you have no idea what the true meaning of that word is, pal." And with that, he proceeded to flare his youki and tried to cow the weaker monster through sheer intimidation. The show _was_ rather impressive, but nowhere near the level Inner Moka could achieve without a second thought. As of now, Tsukune just couldn't control his youki correctly, and while it was near S-class when brought forth by powerful emotions, his manifestation wasn't mature enough to accomplish the feat he was trying to attain.

"Ha! You call _that _youki?" the punk laughed in his face. To him, it was nothing but a weakling flashing an herbivore's blunted teeth. "I'll show you how it's done!"

And with that, he hunched over as if in pain, but his entire form was trembling, shaking violently. Coarse black hair spouted from all over his body, making it appear as if he were being engulfed in fur. His skull elongated to form a snout, complete with razor sharp teeth, and a tail grew from his behind. His spine stretched, bringing his total height (which was somewhat higher than Tsukune's as is) to around two and a half meters tall. A true terrifying transformation that didn't require a show of brute youki to achieve its purpose. This was a lycan, not nearly as powerful as the S-class werewolf, but as he was now, Tsukune would be hard-pressed to defeat an A-class monster. Lycans were not as fast as werewolves, but their healing factor was much more advanced and they possessed an inner ability to dodge just about every frontal attack imaginable. Of course, with enough speed and strength (such as vampires), one could outmatch a lycan easily, but to weaker monsters they were not beasts to be trifled with.

_What is it with all these demonic beasts lately? Can't I get a break? _Tsukune thought to himself. Either way, he wouldn't let Moka get hurt by this half-wit mongrel, be it directly or indirectly through him. Unluckily for Tsukune, though, this lycan knew how to fight (probably because he was constantly saving face for his weaker friend, go figure), and didn't need a weapon to kick ass. Tsukune's vampire-honed battle instincts may be much better than your greenhorn fighter's but this would be a tough match. Already, half of the cafeteria had turned to watch the jaw-dropping show the new arrival had made. Tsukune could see the minotaur back at the table where the lycan had presumably come from, and he was, rather predictably, cheering on his friend to get vengeance for his beating this morning.

"Tsukune, watch out! Lycans are well known for their speed and durability! You _have _to be careful!" Moka yelled, genuinely worried for her friend.

Tsukune warily slipped into a combat stance, all taunts and jests aside, ready for a serious fight. Almost before he caught it, the lycan suddenly charged, bringing a claw full of bloody death around into his side. He barely did a backwards jump out of the way, the claws missing him by mere millimeters. Well, his skin, anyway. His uniform was shredded from the powerful strike. _Jeez, where do these guys come from?!_ He thought crazily, dodging yet another blow that would have emptied his intestines onto the floor. His mind was panicking, clouding the instincts the vampire blood gave him. Staying on the defensive, he ducked and dodged, doing his all to keep outside the range of those razor sharp daggers.

The lycan wasn't even tired. In fact, he was merely toying with the boy. Let him think he can survive, then swipe him down after the opponent thinks you've tired out from missing so much. Tsukune's newfound perception came in handy here, as he could easily see what the lycan was doing. He needed to end this before he ended up mutilated or worse. Skipping back a few steps, he focused all of his strength, and nearly unconsciously a good deal of his youki, into a powerful uppercut that would supposedly knock him down so he could finish the fight safely.

The lycan, also combat-hardened, could easily see what he was doing and stood stock still, waiting for the blow that wouldn't land. He was simply too quick to be caught by a finishing move at full vitality.

Unwittingly sending more youki into his legs in anticipation, Tsukune readied the uppercut and charged, much quicker than any human could possibly hope to be, bringing his fist from below to try and shove it up the monster's throat. The lycan's eyes gleamed as the action he was prepared for came to be, and he moved to get out of the way, preparing his own signature finisher in the same moment. It would be a simple, yet deadly X-scissor cut with both arms that would eviscerate the boy from chest to waist, quick and devastatingly effective. He wouldn't even know what hit him.

X-X

Mizore was watching the unfolding scene, blended with the crowd (she was actually discreetly peeping over the shoulder of some short girl who seemed to smell like medicinal mint). She knew how dangerous lycans were and didn't put much faith into Tsukune's abilities. From what she saw this morning, he wasn't a very powerful vampire, barely deserving of the coveted S-class title, and such an experienced lycan would tear apart a greenhorn like her precious one. She noticed how the lycan was standing stock still, symmetrical from an identical Tsukune. It seemed they were going to end this little squabble with one coup de grace, both going to try and execute a signature finisher against the other. That could be dangerous, considering counter attacks were what lycans excelled at. Mizore couldn't let her Tsukune be cut up by some mangy wolf, so she silently frosted the ground around the monster's feet in centimeters of ice. That would even the odds.

X-X

The eye of the storm quickly abated, and both adversaries charged the other, bringing their full might to bear. The lycan noticed something was dangerously off-kilter though, when his balance flew out the window as soon as he moved. He recovered barely in time to execute his move, but couldn't escape the vampire blood-powered uppercut that could drive through solid rock that sent him skyrocketing through the windows of the cafeteria wall. Not before he brought his X-scissor down over Tsukune's chest, slashing him open hard enough to almost reach bone, but not deep enough to damage any vital organs. Tsukune screamed as he brought his fist up, and collapsed to his knees after all was said and done. Blood was pouring copiously from his torso, much to the horrified alarm of poor Moka. Apparently, the lycan hadn't fought too many monsters with the strength of a vampire, and was out for the count from such a powerful strike to the jaw.

So was Tsukune, unfortunately. He fought to get to his feet, but the world was already fading in and out of focus. This was dangerous; vampires were run solely by blood, and for one to lose so much was life-threateningly dangerous. He tore off his blazer and undershirt and used both to keep the blood from spouting so freely. Moka was suddenly there, a hand on his shoulder, dragging him in the general direction of the infirmary. Already, the vampire blood was doing its work, but without medical help, Tsukune's anemia could potentially kill him at this rate. Seeing the extend of the injury, Moka abandoned all sense of normalcy and outright carried him in her arms as she ran down the corridor to the medical wing. _Please be okay, Tsukune... please..._


	6. Monster

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

Moka was now extremely worried that Tsukune wouldn't make it, based on how much blood he had lost. Since he had already passed out, she knew that he was in critical condition; vampires who go into anemia-induced unconsciousness are in serious danger, both from the possible brain damage and the severe malnutrition that could occur, among other serious complications. Granted, his wounds had already healed considerably because of the blood's wondrous regenerative powers, but a redblack ooze was still seeping from the X cut that ran across his chest. In fact, he would have been fine, but lycans were known for their wounds that wouldn't heal; any strike they inflicted with their claws were usually lethal because of how the flesh wouldn't reform itself correctly. Like a vampire's superior strength, lycans' signature ability was their capacity to kill just about any opponent they injured.

At this point, she could plainly see the veins, a dangerous light blue, bulging weakly from his skin around the wound, his arms, and his neck. She was almost to the infirmary, but at this rate she didn't know whether or not she would make it in time. Vampire he may be, but he was _not_ invincible. Inner Moka was rather furious he had taken on such an experienced lycan by himself, but underneath her righteous rage, she was deeply worried for him, too. Her favorite blood source was not easily replaced.

Moka bust into the medical wing, rushing down the hall at breakneck speed. Thrusting open the door with her foot, she shoved a limp Tsukune into the arms of a stupefied nurse. "Help him, now! He needs attention, quickly!" At the impromptu command, the nurses burst into action, strapping him onto a bed and hooking him up with monitors and IV tubes. Seeing nothing was wrong internally (to Moka's immense relief), they saw that he contained vampire blood in his veins and knew he'd need a blood transfusion as quickly as possible to both jump-start his circulatory system and help him heal the giant wound on his chest. Minutes passed, and the frantic nurses did all they could to save the boy's life. It wasn't going well, though – even though he had fresh human blood pumping into him, his current level of vampiric essence wasn't enough to curb the bite of the cut. Moka knew then what she needed to do – and Inner Moka wasn't happy about it, but neither was she going to allow her Tsukune to die a mere week after she met him.

"Move back, please," she commanded the nurses. Her Inner and Outer selves were never more in sync; she was still polite, but one could sense the inherent majesty and authority of the woman in their midst. They retreated respectfully, seeing they could do no more. There was a poultice molded to the injury, but it wasn't enough at this point. Moka hesitated at his side; she had never done this before, but her instincts were screaming at her for her to go through with it. Leaning over, she gently sunk her fangs into his neck, her teeth automatically honing in on the biggest source of blood present. But this time, she reversed the process, letting the flow go instead of draining all that was present into herself. The instant dizziness was unexpected, but she fought it, desperate to save her best friend. Youki unconsciously swarmed around them, the process invoking the life source power in the transfer, but this energy was a strong purple, with tinges of blue leaking around the edges.

X-X

He knew he was in trouble when the quick rocking motion of Moka's running started fading away into the blackness of his mind. Even in the subpar conditions of his brain, though, the dreams would not leave him.

_The dream world was, as normal, a pulsating blood red with darkness spreading for miles on end as far as the mind's eye could see, but this time the view was noticeably different. The pulsating area was quick, irregular, and the looming figures that usually floated around this hell-spawned dimension were sparse and few in number. It seems that the state of his health somehow affected his dreams as well, though he couldn't see why it would. After all, reality and the machinations of the mind were two different things... right?_

_Tsukune wandered around the phantom floor, looking around and trying to peer through the darkness. After a couple of (what seemed like) minutes, he stopped, sensing someone behind him. But when he turned around, there was no one there but one of the figures, hazy and cloaked in shadow, floating startlingly close to him. It seemed to try and speak to him, but all that he heard was gibberish, low and gravelly. When it saw he couldn't understand what he was trying to say, it formed legs underneath it, still keeping the ethereal cloak in place, but also putting into place a mouth, then eyes, then the rest of the features of a normal face in rapid succession. The monster looked awfully familiar to him, but he couldn't put a finger on just who (or what) he was._

"_Do you know why you're here, Nameless?" the phantom asked._

_Tsukune didn't know how to respond; his name was Tsukune, and he had absolutely no clue as to why exactly he was here in this hell. He told the phantom as much, but it didn't respond in any way. It just continued to stand there, as if processing his answer with the most minimal intelligence required._

"_What you are called in the human world is indeed Tsukune," it said. "But it is not your _true_ name, now is it?"_

_Now he was genuinely confused. A question started to take form on his tongue, but the phantom wasn't done. _

"_Since you cannot answer my question, I shall answer it for you; you are here because you do not know who you are. It is obvious because of your lack of knowledge about your true name."_

"_And what do you know about _me, _monster?!" Tsukune spurted out of confusion and anger. All this nonsense was making his blood boil._

"_I know almost everything about you, _Tsukune,_ because I _am _you," came its retort. "I am one of your inner demons, as are all of the other phantoms roaming this realm. Ever since your vampire blood was awakened, we have taken physical form here because you have not yet come to terms with what you truly are. I am your desire to protect all that is good, and I came to you simply because I could not resist assisting you any longer. You _must _determine your identity, or it will kill you."_

_Tsukune was stunned to no end, pondering what his inner demon had told him. A more pertinent question came to mind. "Then who was that man with the silver hair who was here earlier?"_

_For the first time since their entire meeting, the monster's face betrayed emotion, albeit barely. All indication was in its set jaw. "I do not know," it said. "That being is an unknown, and he does __not belong here." Its eyebrows narrowed, surprising Tsukune. "Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear; here he comes. I must go; I must not be destroyed, along with your other demons, lest your core personality be damaged forever. Guard yourself well, Nameless." And with that, it fled to join the rest of circling demons floating above their heads._

_The silver haired man was indeed strolling toward Tsukune, creating a wake of demons and blood red energy in his path. This time, though, the man portrayed the very face of hostility; his eyebrows were set, stern over his menacing red eyes. His gait was quick and confident, closing the distance between himself and Tsukune faster and faster. Finally he came to stand about half a foot from Tsukune, bearing down on him with his superior energy._

"_Who are you and what do you want?!" Tsukune screamed at him. He was genuinely scared of this man now, as he could practically see the malice emanating from his aura._

"_I must destroy you for your blasphemy, boy," the man said. His voice was deep and had the same undertone of confidence his aura held."And the easiest way to do that is to destroy your soul from the inside first. I did not see you as a noticeable threat the first time. Now, however, I must finish you." And with that, the man's aura, powerful as it is when inactive, flared to life, engulfing the area for miles around with his killing intent. Tsukune could barely stand against the face of such a maelstrom. The man moved closer, raising a hand to strike him down with a single blow. _Is this it? _he thought. _Am I really going to be struck down inside my own mind? _The idea was in fact pretty hilarious, considering he had fought a lycan not ten minutes ago. So funny, that in his fear he burst out laughing, stopping the man in his tracks. How could, no, how _dare _this weakling laugh in the face of his might?_

_Tsukune couldn't stop laughing at the seemingly hilarious irony of how he would go down. Why not? He wouldn't die by being eviscerated by a lycan, no, he would simply keel over and cease to exist in his own mind! Unbeknownst to him, though, his own aura was making itself known in response to the other man's assault. So much so, that the man was jerked out of his astonishment and resumed his move to kill him. _

_Suddenly, Tsukune's demonic aura exploded in a purple bomb of energy, wiping out any conscious thought that anything nearby might have had. Again, the other man was shocked into immobility from the unexpectedness of such power, and how the boy was still laughing maniacally, as if he didn't even know he was the cause of the huge surge of energy. Unnerving as the sight was, he was on a mission, and would not be deterred by a simple display of power. But when he moved closer, Tsukune's aura itself lashed out at him, stopping his advance. A scowl ghosted over his face for a second before disappearing, and he straightened, seeing he was outmatched. There was no way he could defeat the boy in such a state in his own mind. It would be a suicide attempt, and so he turned to leave._

"_Very well, then, boy." he muttered. Then louder, he yelled, "I _will _come for you in reality, and you _will _meet your demise at my hands!" Tsukune kept laughing. In fact, he would laugh himself back into reality, not even realizing the threat had ended._

_The silver haired man was still surprised the boy possessed such power, though. From his first assessment, the boy was weak, barely deserving of the term 'vampire.' And now here he was, boasting the energy that would make a super vampire proud. How? It was simply impossible... But what he didn't notice was the distortion rampant in the boy's aura, and the pitch black at the core of the purple aura around the boy's heart and neck, a harbinger of pure hate._

X-X

Tsukune awoke with a start, panting for breath. His lungs felt like they couldn't get enough air, and his veins felt like they were on fire. But other than that, he felt great, fantastic even; he could pull freighters down their routes by himself for a whole day and not even break a sweat if he wanted to. He didn't remember much of anything from the dream he just had, only that he had visited the realm during his unconsciousness. Glancing around, he noticed he was, once again, in the hospital strapped to a bed and hooked up with more tubes than he would've liked. This time, though, looking down, he saw his souvenir from his battle with the lycan earlier – the huge X-shaped scar encompassing his entire torso. What surprised him was how far along the healing was; taking his previous healing factor into account, it should have at least been red and just taking off the scabs. But this scar looked as if it had been there for a good week or so... he was utterly confused at this new conundrum. All further thought ceased, however, when his eyes fell upon a candy haired beauty quietly dozing on a chair in a corner, her head in her arms on the little table in front of her. He was so stunned by her gorgeousness that all he felt like doing was staring at her for as long as time allowed him. After awhile, though, her eyes fluttered open, signaling that she woke up. Once she saw that Tsukune was also awake, she practically flew over the table and onto his chest with a shout of his name on her lips, wrapping her arms around him as tightly as she could. He had somewhat expected her to take some of his blood, but all she did was squeeze him with that bone-crushing hug, making him realize that he had scared her badly with his little fiasco in the cafeteria.

She was crying something in his shoulder, but it was muffled and he couldn't make it out, so he remained content to just hold her to him in response, offering his silent strength to her that only he could deliver. He held her until her tears finally ran dry, and when they did she pulled away to look at him with eyes reddened from so much crying. "Tears don't suit you, Moka," he said softly, brushing away a stray lock of her hair. He saw in her eyes the fear she felt for him, the joy that he was finally okay, and... anger, for some reason. Maybe that crushingly powerful hug wasn't just out of concern for his safety.

"I'm so glad that you're okay, Tsukune," she mumbled, the honorific lost in her emotion.

"I'm sorry I scared you like that, Moka-san," he started. "I had no idea what that lycan was capable of... I guess I was not accustomed to my new abilities, and that brought about my downfall."

At this point the rosary on Moka's choker was shaking violently, much to Tsukune's curiosity and Moka's bemusement. "I guess Ura-chan – sorry, I mean my inner self – would like to talk to you," she observed. Tsukune's face predictably blanched. She may still be Moka, but she was _scary,_ dammit. "I can't remove it myself... could you help me with that?"

With a reluctant nod, he shakily reached over and gently tugged at the rosary. Regardless of the situation, the resulting 'plink!' and explosion of youki was enough to bend the knee of any lesser man. Blinded by the brightness of the blood red energy, he sadly couldn't see the transformation from his cute current Moka to the jaded vampiress within. When the cyclone abated he unshielded his eyes, witnessing Inner Moka in all her glory. Her hand was in its usual place, holding her head, while her eyes looked down on him, and the disdainful frown she nearly always wore completed the image of royalty. Said image was broken, though, when the stale scent of Tsukune's blood reached her nose and it twitched in response, making her stiffen.

"Are you going to attack me again like a fool? If you really want to die, all you have to do is ask," she said, her deep voice making him shrink further into the hospital bed than he would've liked. All he could utter was a terrified "no, ma'am," to answer her. To his surprise, she smiled, and her disdainful demeanor was replaced by an angelic smile that took his breath away, although the eyes remained the same. "Good. I won't have my pet attack me like a rabid animal," she said, then leaned in and took a quick bite on her neck. For some reason, it seemed to hurt much more than when her outer self took his blood. _Pet? _he thought. He had honestly hoped he would at least be considered something more than the dirt under her boot, but he guessed it was as expected from one raised to believe that she was above all. She was, but it still hurt.

After she was done, she turned a stern look to him that had him stiffening in fear. "And just who do you think you are, taking on a lycan like you're some fresh blood debonair brawler?" Her mood only worsened as she went, her anger finally able to see expression upon the world. "You are _not _a full vampire, and don't go thinking you are just because you're a little bit stronger than your average monster!" Inner Moka couldn't help but notice how muscular he appeared now, seeing as her outer self had pumped a good deal of her blood into his veins to heal him. She still had no idea what the effects of putting such a huge dose of undiluted vampire blood into an awakened, but whatever they were, they weren't making themselves known at the moment, so she put those worries aside in favor of more pertinent things. Namely, chewing Tsukune out for his idiocy. Although... she could see quite a few strands of platinum colored hair poking out from his usual chocolate mop, and his pupils were a great deal more reptilian than they were yesterday. They had completely lost their circular shape, and were pointed like a cat's now. She mentally shuddered at the thought of being confused with an albino neko... disgusting. At least his eyes were more prominently red now.

She kept wailing on him with hurtful (but truthful) slights and failures that he had committed during his entire stay, only making him feel worse and worse for the trouble he had gotten himself into. Lastly, at the peak of her onslaught, she told him how her outer self had had to give him a large dose of her blood to save him from dying from lack of the life source in his body. At this, his face drained of all color, quickly catching on to the implications such a dangerous act held. Well, most of them, anyway.

"I'll never let you forget what my outer self has done for you, Aono. But..." her expression softened, "I forgive you. You're only just coming into this life, and many other purebloods have done worse things in a few hours than you have in a few days." Letting out a sigh from such a long rant, she sat down on the bed and looked at him like an older sister would a younger brother. She put a hand on his knee to let him know she wasn't completely mad at him, that she, too, cared for his well being, although not to the extent of her outer half (that she knew of).

Her eyes hardening again, she told him that she would be personally training him every two days after school to help him carry the vampire title with pride. While he quickly agreed because of his peer induced guilt Inner Moka had seeded in him, he had no idea of the torture he had sealed his fate to.

X-X

Outer Moka and Tsukune walked to school the next day, seeing as Tsukune had been miraculously healed of all injury seemingly overnight (the nurses knew, but one word from Inner Moka and their lips were sealed). They could both hear the whispers concerning Tsukune's more distinct vampiric appearance, especially his eyes. There wasn't much known about vampires, but the one significant trait they all knew about was those entrancing yet horrifying blood red eyes, and Aono was definitely sporting some odd eyes. The multitude of silver strands went unnoticed because of his predominantly brown hair, but they knew something was up with this particular first year. The duo ignored the rumors floating around though, and tried going straight to homeroom today without any interruptions.

A cold day in hell would happen before an uninteresting day passed at Youkai though, as the one and only Mizore Shirayuki stepped out of the shadow of some tall monster to stand directly in their path. Tsukune was curious, but Moka remained wary. This girl screamed trouble.

"I hear you've caused quite a disturbance at lunch yesterday, Tsukune-kun," came her soft floating voice, barely audible. Her head tilted in her usual questioning way, asking more in that one gesture than she said in a single sentence.

"The other guy started it, Shirayuki-san," he said lightly. "I was only defending myself, and look what it got me." He opened up his blazer and undershirt to reveal the top two slashes of the large X-shaped scar covering his chest. At the sight of his injury, Mizore's gaze saddened deeply. She knew she hadn't done enough to help him escape the horrible wound. He didn't know it was her directly, but he was still extremely grateful the lycan had lost his balance before he could empty his vital organs onto the floor.

"I... I didn't know about that," she mumbled. She hadn't seen the finishing blows, as the crowd had all rushed closer seeing the dual coup de grace. Why couldn't she ever do enough? Naturally the one boy she likes gets into a fight, and when she tries helping he barely escapes with his life. It reminded her of the first boy she had become attached to. She had played with him just about every day, and she enjoyed it to the fullest. The days passed, and they had seemed near inseparable. But when the day came when she finally confessed her true nature to her precious single friend, he had thrown their friendship, their memories, their very _trust_ into the dirt and ground it in. Mizore had never trusted anyone else since that hateful day, and she had paid for that betrayal in spades. It would not happen _ever again._ She would _not_ lose her Tsukune, emotionally or physically, because of her inadequacies. His kindness to just about everyone had caught her attention, his natural attraction had ensnared it, and stalking him every day since the beginning of the school year had her entranced. No, she would do all in her power to keep her Tsukune close to her, and she would never let go.

The dredged up memories brought tears to her eyes, and she stared at the ground, too ashamed to meet their concerned gazes. Mizore stood there for who knew how long, but to her it only seemed like seconds, drowning in her own misery. Before she knew it, Tsukune was right in front of her, scaring the daylights out of her. Before she could react (or protest), he had wrapped his arms around her in a comforting hug, trying to ease her pain with his closeness, even though he had no clue as to why she had suddenly started crying. But he knew he had to do something, and this was all he could think of. And it was the best thing; at first she was terrified, but with his gentle and firm arms tight around her small frame, she felt... safe. At peace, for the first time since that horrible day in her childhood. Instinctively, her own arms crept up his back to return the comforting embrace, and with that motion, noticed that he himself was crying, too. What reason had he for crying? It wasn't pain (physical, that is), for his scar was already at its final stage. Whatever the reason, the two held each other, offering their soul's mutual warmth to ease their suffering of different histories. Mizore, the one who had been forever alone had now found a friend in this one boy who had since starting school become a man and a monster in the same week. Tsukune, the one who had difficulty dealing with the immense implications of vampirism and the changes it would bring to his life, as well as the worry of what his dreams had told him and the danger of having been infused with a good quantity of pure vampire blood. Both had their separate reasons, but their means made no different to the end that they had found in each other.

Moka watched from afar, jealous at first that he would give such intimate attention to a near stranger that he barely knew, but she also knew that this was what they both needed; she had seen the girl's eternal sorrow in the depths of her ocean blue eyes, and Tsukune, being the kind guy he is, only tried his best to help her feel better. What she hadn't expected was his subtle shaking sobs, visibly rocking both of them in his throes. Was it really that much? Or had her inner self been too hard, too demanding on his already battered soul? She hadn't got around to asking him what the dreams he had every night that made him moan and toss in his sleep were about, and with this new turn of events, she berated herself (and Ura-chan) for not being there for him herself when she was the only person he ever hung out with. Admitting her own failure, she allowed the communion between the two to last until they were both done.

However, Tsukune wasn't entirely satisfied. Surprising both Moka and Mizore, Tsukune quickly sunk his fangs (which were now about half the size of a normal vampire's) into Mizore's neck. Moka was mortified, but Mizore seemed to be... enjoying it.

"Tsukune, stop! You can't drink her blood like that! You don't know what it could cause to your condition!" she yelled, trying to make him stop. She was already running up to them to break them apart, but he had finished, a look of shame and horror aimed at himself on his face.

"It's all right, Tsukune-kun," Mizore interrupted. "If he wants to suck my blood, he can have it," she shot at Moka. The look of pleasure was still evident on her doll-like face, and Moka herself wondered what it would be like to have Tsukune sink his fangs into her own neck. But that was for another time.

"Well... come on then, you two. We have to get to class before we're late," said a defeated, but stern Moka. She really had no idea what yuki-onna blood would do to his adapting body, but by this point the two weren't accepting argument and they just followed her, Tsukune still holding Mizore, who was feeling much better now, close to his chest. All during the day (after Mizore was finally pried off of him) the snow girl and the dhampyr got to know each other, talking about this and that as they went through their daily schedule. Coincidentally, Mizore had much of the same classes that Tsukune did; she just hadn't felt like attending school until today. When Tsukune asked about it, she truthfully told him the only reason she was here was to find someone who could see eye to eye with her, and Tsukune himself was her choice. His face drained of color for a second, but he waved it off and they continued as normal. The lycan didn't show up to school today, presumably more because he had been beaten than any real injury. Either way, Moka was quietly keeping her peace as Mizore and Tsukune got acquainted with each other, but by the end of the day she couldn't take not having Tsukune so much as talk to her for more than a few paltry seconds.

"Okay, Mizore, I think you and Tsukune-san have had quite enough time with each other, and I think it's for the best that you go your own way until tomorrow," she said loudly to get her attention. Tsukune, ever the naïve one, didn't catch the frustration laced through the suggestion, but Mizore simply shrugged, and got up to leave. Before she did, though, she gave Tsukune a quick peck on the cheek, flabbergasting both of them. And as soon as they recovered, she was gone.

"W-well that was uh... unexpected," Tsukune said unevenly. What exactly was that all about? This, of course, only served to make Moka even more furious, which was noticeable even by Tsukune at this point. Fear was evident as he quickly reconsidered how he was going to spend his time for the next couple of days.

"Oh, it was completely normal, Tsukune-san," she snapped. "I think you got yourself an admirer." While Tsukune didn't know quite what to say to that, Moka didn't let him respond and closed the distance between them before he could even blink. Her cute face seemed to only get cuter in her anger, though, and Tsukune was putty in her hands. Or fangs, as fate would have it, for she sunk them into his neck before he could even make a move. She thought of it as payment for her lack of attention from her best friend for the day.

But when she was licking the wound closed, she saw that her spit wasn't doing anything and the marks wouldn't seal. In fact, the entire area seemed blackened in a tattoo-like pattern, while the marks themselves were dry. They were also a deep and rich red that couldn't possibly be healthy. "Tsukune, have you been feeling... odd recently? Any sudden unusual urges or desires?"

His eyes went blank, emotionless, as the words brought forth a barrage of forgotten memories from ages past and days ago. He remembered (through his blood) his family placing limitation upon limitation on their powerful forms to reduce them to a mere human-like husk of what they once were. After decades of living in a human masquerade, their blood wouldn't reactivate after they removed their plentiful seals. Resigned to fate as humans, they continued their lives as normal citizens of the time, not knowing that their vampire blood was still present, but dormant. The Aonos had mostly forgotten what they once were, but they were still descendants of a powerful clan of vampires rivaling even the likes of the present day Shuzens. Tsukune's father had no idea what his wife's blood contained, but it was inconsequential to both of them, and they raised their son as normally as they could, not even knowing he would be reawakened after Fate brought him to this damned school.

And then he remembered the true nature of the vampires, and how it was (attempted to) beaten down the basic urges that led entire clans to extinction because of their lack of control, their bloodlust bringing forth their own ends when they were discovered by the humans. The basic urge to sate the fiery thirst raging in every vampire's throat, and the accompanying urge to kill, to destroy to get to that goal. Only recently had they applied their advanced minds and blended in with the humans, to make it seem like they were no longer a threat so they could safely live among them without fear of mass prosecution. Upon this new realization, the thirst in his own throat made itself known, and the full brunt of its fire was unleashed upon him.

And a dark, evil thing opened its eyes for the first time deep inside Tsukune's soul.

X-X

Moka had seen how Tsukune had gone completely blank after her seemingly innocent query, so she didn't broach the topic anymore for the entire day. In fact, he was totally unresponsive for the remainder of school, which scared her even more deeply than the savage wound he had received during his first real fight. She even decided to forgo their scheduled training today because of how... off her friend appeared to be. When the final bell rang, he simply gathered his things and left, heading to the men's dorms without a single word of goodbye. Crestfallen, she reluctantly went to her own dorm to finish her mountain of homework and get some sleep.

But it didn't get any better. She was waiting at their usual spot, but Mizore, not Tsukune, arrived to greet her (well, she more or less sprung up from behind a bush and went over to her). Unsurprising, but it only served to deepen her worry for her best friend. Almost before they turned to leave did he come, and they easily noticed the bags, more prominent than ever, under his russet eyes. When asked how he was doing, he simply grunted a quiet response about how the dreams were taking his sleep and left it at that. But somehow they knew that wasn't the only thing.

Truth was, Tsukune was on fire. Both in energy and in need. The thirst had stayed vigilant for the past 24 hours, not letting him even doze because of its severity. The only way he had actually sated the raging need was sneaking into Moka's room through her window (don't ask, he didn't even remember how he himself did it) and sniffed out her blood pack reserves and drained three in a row before ghosting back to his own room. Yet this morning, it had come back in full force, and all he wanted to do was go to the nearest blood bank and drain all of its blood reserves until he couldn't drink any longer. The only thing holding him back was his own ironclad will and the thought of how his new friends would react to such savage actions.

Either way, Tsukune somehow made it to homeroom without assaulting anybody, so he figured he would be able to hold out until he could safely ask Moka for more of her delectable lifeblood. Naturally, though, things would go out of turn, as a busty succubus decided to vie for Tsukune's attention today of all days. She had noticed how first the most beautiful girl in the entire academy (other than herself, of course) and then the snow woman was allured by his seemingly innocent charm. With his transformation, he really didn't know how masculine he appeared to the entire female populace, but it wasn't anything special compared to some of the other guys at the school. He simply was above average in one aspect of his life, for once. But this unassuming boy had stolen the hearts of the girls' best, so it was her mission to steal him from them, by deceit and treachery if need be.

"Oh, Tsukune-kun, could you tell me how to solve this math problem? I can't seem to figure it out myself," she cooed in his ear, rubbing her breasts against his shoulder all the while. A tic mark had appeared above both Moka's and Mizore's foreheads, and they quickly made short work of the tiny succubus with a dual push that sent her stumbling back to her seat near the middle of the last row. Not that Tsukune had even noticed because of how tenuous his hold on his sole thread of concentration, but not one of the three cared about that. The duo promptly resumed their work and sat back down, but Kurumu wouldn't be stopped by such a gentle rejection. She was back to his side before they even made contact with the seats, but she noticed how... empty his eyes looked. As if his entire consciousness was busying itself with a single cognitive process and nothing else was going on. Her heart melted a little at how pitiable he looked, and she dropped the effort to steal his heart. After all, you can't steal something if it's not there to take in the first place (Of course, she didn't know just how big Mizore's and Moka's strands were in his heart strings, but she would come to know soon enough). She tried talking to him in a soft encouraging manner, trying to get him to at least respond to her, but to no avail. Tsukune was a husk of his former self, and nothing seemed to break him out of his reverie. When Kurumu resumed her seat, another classmate had got up, presumably to sharpen his pencil or some other trivial thing. But when he passed by Tsukune, he accidentally brushed his shoulder. A menacing, inhuman growl erupted from his chest at the possible threat, not even from conscious thought; a purely instinctive warning to the poor boy who was, understandably, scared out of his mind. All work in the class immediately stopped, the students (his group included) staring at him with mouths agape. What was his problem?

A dangerous one, that was certain. In his mind, Tsukune had focused all of his will on restraining himself from the ever present, all consuming _need_ to get blood into his body, and in the most grotesque fashion possible. For now, this battle of wills (albeit one wasn't exactly sentient... or was it?) raged in Tsukune's favor, and he kept the beast at bay. It was all he could do to devote his remaining cognitive processes to keeping with the image of a normal student, but that charade had slipped. Not that he was aware of it. It seemed as if the wanton desire had a voice that was constantly telling him to abandon all his core values, to hell with social norms and functions, take what you _need to live_ and don't stop until you can't make that happen anymore.

Tsukune's defenses were cracking. Only given a short recess from the meager blood packs that were nowhere near the quality he needed, he just couldn't withstand the mental onslaught of a demon inside wanting to do everything he didn't want to do for a solid 28 hours straight. He was only a dhampyr, not a robot. Either way, he thought he was, to all looks and appearances, acting normal for his friends and that they hadn't noticed the battle going on inside his very mind.

_Only two more classes to go,_ was his main thought as he went through the rest of the day. Thankfully he didn't have to deal with anyone else, but that may have had something to do with his menacing growl when he was merely bumped in his seat. No one wanted to mess with an angry vampire of any caliber. By the last class of the day, the internal war still hadn't changed position; Tsukune was still holding his ground on the winning side, but just barely, while the demon that was his desire was preparing for the final barrage.

Kurumu had seen how he had been so unresponsive, and had tried her very best to try and get him out of his silent reverie. Everything she tried, however, failed, be it bringing him cookies or singing to him or even shoving his face into her chest for a few moments. Nothing worked, and this worried her to her core. Men simply could not resist reacting, at least in some way, to a matured woman's advances. The three girls could only watch in womanly fear as their Tsukune walked down the path to the men's dorms, not even saying a word of goodbye, much less noticing them. Mizore would at least get to see him through his window again, but the other two wouldn't get to try again until tomorrow.

Tsukune was just about to slide into bed and confront his dreams for the umpteenth time when he heart a hesitant and subtle knock at his door. He got up and opened the door as mechanically as he did everything else. However, his eyes widened by the smallest margin when he saw none other than a shy Kurumu Kurono standing just outside.

"May I come in, Tsukune-san?" she asked softly. A pleased, but small smile appeared when his head nodded slowly and he retreated inside with her following. His room really wasn't much to look at, as Kurumu noticed, as the only thing even showing someone lived here was the bag lying in the corner and the ruffled sheets of the bed, as well as the bare minimal essentials for the bathroom. He could get up and go in five minutes and it would be as if he had never come here.

Kurumu animatedly fawned over every little thing, frequently making criticism of his complete lack of décor. Mostly she went over the walls, making hand motions of the posters or pictures he could put up to at least take the feel of industrialism out of the place. When she finally calmed down enough to notice how he was just sitting on his bed with his head hung between his shoulders, she stopped and walked over to him, sitting down and resting her head on his shoulder.

"You know, Tsukune, when I first saw you I didn't think anything of you. Nothing special to look at, but not ugly, at least. But when Moka started sticking to your side like glue to paper, I was curious. And when the snow girl started hanging around you, I felt jealousy. No ordinary boy could score two pretty girls like them at once. But when I heard how nice you were to everybody, and how you fought that lycan to defend Moka with only one hand (that was a rumor, but she didn't need to know that), I knew you were something special. Only a real man would do that for the person he truly loves." At this, Tsukune snapped out of the internal struggle for the first time, finally hearing Kurumu's heartfelt speech. "And when you held the ice girl like she was your little sister or something... I knew I needed to take you away from them (Tsukune stiffened, but said nothing). But when I hung around with you guys today, I realized something. It wasn't a petty contest to see who was the coolest, or the prettiest, or who could even seduce you the most. It was... a simple friendship, a... a..." she didn't quite know the word she was searching for.

"A camaraderie?" came his soft answer. "Yeah, that's it!" she said with a bounce. Then, regaining her composure, "it was a camaraderie of one guy and two girls, and I could see that those two didn't really mind that. And truthfully... I wouldn't mind joining in on that myself. I mean, I was looking for my Destined One originally, but holding a herd of boys was just so much work and today felt so... casual, that I couldn't help but feel more and more entranced by the idea of being normal friends with other people. You know?" She looked at him to see how he had taken to her speech, but to her immense surprise, he was staring right at her with a mixture of sadness and wanton lust boiling underneath. Yet she could tell it wasn't because of her womanly charms that caused the last part. She knew what the boy was; he was a vampire, and naturally he would require blood to survive. She just didn't know that he was currently undergoing the most trying test of willpower ever created to not suck her blood until she died.

Somehow, she knew exactly what he wanted, but she also knew he had been paying attention to her. It was endearing (to her, at least), and she couldn't help but blush a little at the thought. To her surprise, though, he simply but tentatively wrapped her arms around her in a gentle hug, much like the one he had given Mizore when he saw her tears fall. However, she quickly fell into it, recognizing it was the best of what he could offer at the moment.

"Sure, you could be our friend, too, Kurumu." He didn't remember hearing her name, but somehow his brain had recorded it while his war of the mind raged on. More hesitantly, he said "you... you don't mind if I drink some of your blood, right? I'm a vampire and I'm _really _thirsty at the moment." She didn't mind, much to her relief, and she was glad to know that his bite didn't hurt. In fact, it almost felt... pleasing, as if it were a lover's chaste kiss to her neck. She never really noticed him taking a good amount of blood to lower the need, but he stopped before it could get out of hand. Apparently, his will was still as solid as steel.

"I-I really ought to be getting b-back to my own r-room," Kurumu almost moaned after he was done. He softly agreed, and she shakily got up and went over to the window. When a questioning call of her name sounded behind her, she simply replied with a "I'm a succubus, silly" and she threw open the window, jumping out into the night with her large wings bursting from her back and carrying her back to the girls' dorms, much to the surprise of an agape Tsukune. Either way, he was still content with his feeding and headed off to bed to face his inner demons once again.

Mizore, of course, saw the whole thing from her handy hiding spot in the trees in the courtyard between the buildings. "A succubus, huh? She better watch herself, or she'll face my wrath," she vowed in her normal nonchalant way.

X-X

_Tsukune's dreamworld was once again littered with the fragments of his soul given form, flying around and all about. He still didn't know why they had to be in the form of monsters, though. That was just plain creepy. Yet there was something different about the place once again, even though he was sure he was fine this time. The problem was the whole dimension was covered in a frosty mist, hovering just above the non-existent ground. What was that all about? He wasn't physically cold; he was in his room underneath the covers! _

_Another thing was there was at least twice the number of soul fragments this time around, even though the area was deathly cold now. But the odd thing about these new ones was that they were covered in complete blackness; there was no illusion of shadow covering them, since that had been dispelled when their true nature was revealed. The new ones were even more monstrous, with pitch black bodies and blood red limbs and claws. Their heads were malformed and a pale human-skin color, nothing like the original inhabitants, some with tusks and some with menacing half-meter long canines that looked like they could tear through flesh as if it were butter. The oddest thing was thick, ropy tattoos running along their necks and faces, all of them as pitch black as their bodies._

_Not all of them were exponentially more evil, though. He could spot a few with ice claws and some with bat-like wings instead of the usual angel wings that they used to fly. Once again, as had happened the night before, the deformed fragments started circling above his head like crows, as if preparing to feast on yet another poor soul left behind in the dust. Tsukune solemnly watched this action and knew what was going to happen next; the leader would appear. And so he did, somehow shape-shifting from the normal flock into a giant of a fragment with femur-length claws and red eyes pulsating like a heart. The huge monstrosity dived down to meet Tsukune face to __mask and stuck his claws out, meaning to run him through and make him no more._

X-X

Tsukune awoke with a jolt, and realizing it had happened again, went about his usual routine of cleaning himself up and getting ready for school. This one was similar to last night's, but the ice wasn't there, and nor were there so many soul fragments flying around. Just what was going on inside his mind? He didn't know, so he tossed the question aside. After all, the demon was back, and with a vengeance. Once _he_ came, Tsukune was no longer capable of sparing free thought for inconsequential and trivial things that didn't require his immediate attention. And so, he repeated what he did yesterday and trudged out the door. At least this was his last day until the weekend, where he could properly deal with the damn hunger rampant in his body.

He met up with the girls, and while Moka and Mizore weren't exactly happy to see Kurumu waiting with them, they dealt with it with no complaint for Tsukune's sake. There was no difference in his appearance, especially considering the dreams were only becoming more and more severe as time went by. But as they headed off to class to start the day, they picked up rumors floating around the student populace.

"Did you hear about the new student?"

"Heard he was a transfer from somewhere in Fukushima. A real troublemaker."

"What was his name again? Moburu or some other?"

"You dolt, his name is Kobayashi Moburu! Can't you think with something other than your stomach?!"

"Sorry, Miyuki-san..."

Tsukune and the gang were relatively interested (the girls were, that is) that there would be a new student transferring in the middle of the semester, but whoever he is, he was unimportant, so they continued on as if nothing were new. After all, the girls had to help Tsukune deal with his problem, whatever it was, and they had no time to worry about some cocky new first year from up north ruining their day.

**Author's Notes:** Jeez, that was a little much. Sorry about that; I just couldn't find a nice place to stop. I'm also sorry to say that my chapters probably won't get any longer than 10-15 pages. I'm sorry, but I just can't write gigantic chapters like my inspiration Platinumsabr can. Also, a forewarning for those who hate OCs with a passion; my planned one will make his debut next chapter (but he is an _enemy!_ Don't worry about it!) Also, could you guys tell me if my new summary is any better? I was reading the reviews for my story and finally realized I was basically poisoning my own fic with the summary alone, so I changed it. Hopefully the title is ambiguous enough that it doesn't do any more damage, but what's done is done. For the reviewers guesto and BP, I'd really like it if you guys gave my story another chance. The negative ones are the most critical on a writer's conscience, and I need to know what you guys think. Anyway, thanks for reading my first fic so far, and please, enjoy yourself. Addio.


	7. Ghoul

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

**A/N:** Since people are having a hard time reading, let me clear something up; Outer Moka was the one taken down, NOT Inner. Inner Moka was never released since her stay in the hospital regarding the aftermath of the lycan fight. Context, clues, people. They are important.

"Aono-kun? Aaaaooonoooo-kuuuun..." Miss Nekonome purred to the unresponsive boy. A disappointed frown crossed her face before she recovered and picked somebody else to answer her question.

Tsukune's ever-persistent inner demon that constantly urged him to abandon all restraint and viciously suck the life from each and every one of his classmates didn't let up once when he was awake, and today was no exception. The girls were resigned to this husk of their friend, but they would try anything and everything to help him when school was over, rules and regulations be damned. Mizore would even kidnap him if it came down to it.

Not that the rampant rumors of the new transfer were helping. The student populace wouldn't talk about anything else all period, and quite frankly, it was getting on the group's nerves.

"Will this Moburu guy hurry up and get here already?!" Kurumu spat. "If he's so damn classy, he wouldn't be skipping class on his first day!" The other two were nodding their heads in silent agreement, but their faces fell when they turned to Tsukune only to see him staring absently off into space for the umpteenth time. He hadn't even reacted when Moka had breakfast this morning (minus his stomach rumbling loudly, but that was fixed when Mizore gave him some more of her blood), which was definitely unlike him.

A collective sigh escaped them, and they sat back down unceremoniously. This had been going on for too long. They didn't know what to do with themselves without their center (except for Kurumu, she was too new), and his constant depressed aura dragged down everyone else's mood with his. Even throughout lunch, nothing new or exciting happened. No fights, no conspiratorial plot ideas being thrown around, no gossip... nothing. Even music class, their last one of the day, seemed to ascend the school's gothic theme.

Kurumu had had enough when school finally ended and there was no change. There was supposed to be only one emotionally dense person in their group, and Mizore had taken that role first. She stopped him before he could head off ahead of them, and planted her hands on her hips, determined to snap him out of it.

"Just what is your problem, Tsukune?! You've been acting like a zombie for the past two days, and it's totally creeping us out!"

"Well, I don't necessarily mind him this way," Mizore piped in. Kurumu just bopped her on the head and continued her spiel. "This isn't healthy for you, Tsukune! Your friends need you! What if another hotheaded punk tries to make trouble again? What if Moka gets hurt because _you won't do anything?" _

That got a response. His relaxed eyebrows knit together, his shoulders and back straightened, and the emptiness in his eyes finally vanished, emotion flooding back in for the first time, much to their relief. "I would never, _ever_ allow someone to hurt Moka-chan," he retorted instinctively. Moka's heart fluttered at the automatic response, and Kurumu smiled victoriously. Mizore, in her own way, showed her approval by materializing by his side and leaned into his shoulder. Their Tsukune was back, and Kurumu had done the trick, for the time being at least.

"Would you be so willing to risk so much for one pathetic little girl?" a phantom voice asked, unseen by any of them. Tsukune's anger spiked and the demon's barrage resumed, but his emotion was able to deal with it and face this new affront at the same time. All of them were glancing around, looking for the source of such an arrogant prick, but no one could be found. In the space of a second, a silver streak struck out of the corner of their eyes and drove a booted foot into Tsukune's chest, sending him crashing through tombstones and trees alike. The girls rounded on him, preparing to kill him for hurting their Tsukune, but he just as easily dodged their attacks and dispatched them without so much as a struggle. His main quarry was not his girlfriends, but the boy himself. Being the honorable person he was, he made sure they went down without feeling anything at all.

Tsukune was picking himself up out of a crater surrounded by bits of stone and natural debris, rage visibly rolling off him in waves. No one just goes up to you and kicks you like that, and the perpetrator would pay for such an insult. His eyes searched the area he once occupied for the person who kicked him, but his eyes unwillingly found three unconscious forms lying in the dirt and unceremoniously tossed aside. Tsukune's fury increased one hundred-fold at such an atrocity. This was an outrage! They may cut him to pieces, they may batter his mind, and they may destroy his soul, but they would _not _under _any _circumstances injure his loved ones. Unbeknownst to him, youki was visibly broiling in the air around him, deep majestic red and intense enough to burn through the debris littering his self-made crater. Emotion was what brought forth the most powerful energies; the more powerful the energy, the more youki brought forth in response. Technically, if one's emotions had no limits, and one was provoked excessively, one could (given enough time) summon youki of such levels that not even Issa Shuzen would be able to withstand the onslaught of pure energy. Then again, that was what made reality its own glorious item; its endless and excessive boundaries.

"You'll pay for what you did to my friends, monster," he warned, not even looking past his fallen friends. His petrified gaze would allow nothing else. But the most important thing was that he hadn't recognized the voice that had foreshadowed his arrival before he put a foot into Tsukune's chest.

"Oh, I highly doubt that, my friend. Here, you're about as powerful as a newborn baby; struggling, with no idea what to do or how to go about doing it. I. Will. Take. You. Down. No question about it."

Tsukune stiffened, finally realizing that he did in fact know that voice. It was the same one from his dreams.

His eyes finally snapped to the oppressor, taking in the same demonic red eyes, silver hair so much like a vampire's and so unlike it, and the red trench coat followed by the gothic boots. His mounting fury momentarily forgotten, all he could do was stare as the menacing figure formally introduced himself.

"My name is Kobayashi Moburu, and here, today, you will fall. Are you prepared to meet your end, Tsukune Aono?" His Japanese was so cultured that Tsukune instantly knew he was royalty, but he doubted he was truly from Fukushima. His accent was older, as if from a few decades past.

Moburu didn't really give Tsukune much of a chance to respond; he was a man of action, and indecision would be the other man's downfall. A boring way to go, considering how interesting he had been in the dreamworld, but it was inconsequential, seeing as it would all end the same way. Tsukune would die, and he would do so in short order. Appearing close to Tsukune so quick he barely even saw the man move, Moburu put a fist into his gut, followed by an uppercut to the jaw, and finished by a flying roundhouse kick that put him flat on his ass. He wanted to toy with the boy, so he pulled his punches for now.

"Is that all you have in you? I sensed something much greater in you earlier, whelp!" The goading insult was rewarded with a wheezing Tsukune getting to his feet once again. He removed his blazer and was left in the school uniform's pants and plain white t-shirt (uniforms were expensive, so he tried to destroy as little of them as possible), lifting his arms in a classic defensive stance made for intercepting attacks of high speed. When Moburu moved in again, Tsukune's battled instincts took over, allowing him to finally read his opponent's movements and direct them to spots where they would be utterly useless; moving into a jab and letting it hit muscle ready for the impact, dodging another sweeping overhead kick entirely, sidestepping a punch coming in from the side, brushing aside an elbow with a forearm. The two fought ferociously, a serene calm falling over Tsukune, while Moburu finally received the pleasure of having his adversary fight back. Tsukune weaved in and out of the other man's attacks gracefully, not once slipping or giving him enough time to catch him unawares. The man was too quick himself for Tsukune to land any attacks of his own, though; it seemed as if they had reached an impasse. They were equal matches.

Moburu, however was done playing around. With a surge of power, he knocked Tsukune back, stunning him. The boy was indeed powerful, but nowhere near the level he had displayed in the dreamworld. How disappointing. Oh well, it was time to end this. Youki flaring unimpeded around him, forming a dark red flame of power large enough to swallow Tsukune's own aura whole, Moburu walked up to Tsukune, hands at his side. He wouldn't even need defenses to take the other man down when he wasn't holding back. Striking Tsukune's jaw and putting a powerful kick in his chest so quickly not even his combat senses couldn't keep track, he was knocked back down once again. Remembering how Moburu had taken down his friends, he once again got to his feet, only to receive more punishment from the now dispassionate Moburu. Down on the ground, Tsukune could only struggle as the demon stood triumphantly over him, gloating at his own apparent victory. He cocked an arm back, channeling enough youki into the punch to be visible to the naked eye. He drove the powerful strike straight into Tsukune's sternum, breaking ribs and cracking the bone itself in one blow. Blood flew out of his mouth from the recoil of the blow, the pain enormous. But he would have to deal with it if he were to avenge his friends. He put a feeble kick into Moburu's own chest to try and give himself some breathing room and managed to sit up.

Moburu only laughed. "Still able to hit back after choking on your own lungs' blood, eh? Impressive. But not enough to save your miserable life." Eyes hardening, he basically teleported to Tsukune's side once again, driving a sideways kick into his collarbone, cracking it. Tsukune's eyes went wide as more pain made itself known, temporarily blotting out coherent thought. _Must... go... on..._

And still the tormentor went, slamming strike after strike into Tsukune's pain-riddled body, breaking just about everything he could hit directly. Blackish blood leaked from Tsukune's mouth and nose, and in some places where the blows had been too powerful. Was this really the end? He had only been there for a week, dammit! It wasn't fair to be killed without a morsel of mercy from a man he didn't know! Moburu didn't let up, even after Tsukune's eyes had been closed from the sheer pain alone. All he could feel now was the displacement his body made after being struck repeatedly by Moburu's unrelenting blows.

Even through all the pain, the demon inside thirsting for blood wouldn't let up, tempting him, goading him, hounding him to let go and embrace freedom. And why not? Blood was a vampire's main interest. Even in their wars, the vampires only sought to obtain more blood, even if the trigger was because one had slighted another based on the very same sustenance. And what the demon promised didn't sound too bad, especially when he was getting his life pounded into the very dirt beneath him. Tsukune couldn't even tell if he was breathing properly anymore. The demon promised to fix that, too, if he only _let go._ Seeing as there wasn't much else he could do, Tsukune finally relented and gave the demon what it wanted; control.

_Yes._

X-X

Moka didn't know how she was defeated so easily, but damn did her head hurt when she finally awoke. But the sounds her ears were picking up weren't exactly encouraging. Sitting up and rubbing the back of her head where she was hit, she looked around to see that Kurumu was still on her side and out cold, but Mizore was nowhere to be seen. Curious, she searched further, even calling her name at one point. Giving up, she finally gave her attention to the ruckus going on in the distance. The trail wasn't hard to follow; there was a crater, some blood, and a beaten path going further off the main road. She didn't like what she saw; by its scent, the blood in the crater was _Tsukune's._

Mizore had woken up much in the same fashion, although she instantly recalled what had happened and sneaked off into the direction of the obvious punishment that was being doled out. Stealth was her instinctive approach, so she stayed within the bushes to escape notice from anything that might detect her. When she finally came upon the two forms fighting among the trees, she gasped in fear for her Tsukune. She had stumbled upon them just as Moburu stopped toying with the poor boy.

She could only watch as the violent man methodically beat the living hell out of Tsukune, tearing him to pieces with his bloodstained fists and boots alone. She cringed with each new hit that went into his body, but she was too afraid to stop him. If Moburu could take out all three of them before they could even get a chance to react, how was she going to take on this monster by himself? Nevertheless, she prepared multiple ice kunai in her hands in case she found her courage again. But what she didn't expect was how Tsukune simply stopped irradiating his normal aura, beaten down and barely active as it was. It didn't waver, didn't change, didn't erupt, nothing. An aura that went out like a candle could only mean one thing. _Is he really dead...?_ She thought with horror. Tears fell down her porcelain face, unwilling to witness the atrocity this man had done to Tsukune for apparently no reason. Just... killed him, straight out of the blue. She turned away, unable to witness the scene any longer. She didn't catch the new, menacing black aura that was pouring out from under Tsukune's beaten form, though.

Moka finally made it to the clearing in time to see Moburu deliver the final crushing blow into Tsukune's already blackened face, sending more blood flying out of his mouth. Putting a hand to her mouth to cover her gasp, she could only watch in horror as his life essence dropped away. Tears also fell from her eyes, the pain evident in her face. Her eyes quivered, not wanting to think about the implications that absence held. She almost fell to her knees, but she noticed a pitch black aura spilling out from underneath Tsukune's fallen form.

Inner Moka's phantom eyes widened in complete horror inside the rosary when she realized this phenomenon for what it was. This was worse, _much _worse than her precious Tsukune merely dying. No, dying would be a mercy at this point, for all of them. Kami forgive them for the hell they had unleashed upon the world. She berated herself for not noticing the signs earlier. His abnormal desire for blood, even for an awakened, the emptiness clouding his once cheery and happy demeanor, the inhuman warning growl he had issued the poor student who bumped him on the shoulder... and with the power of her own super-vampire blood, the monster of monsters would be almost unstoppable in its might.

X-X

Moburu was finished. The boy had ceased to respond from his unrelenting blows, so he stopped, thinking him dead. His mission was accomplished, then; the blasphemer was dead and no one was any the wiser. A pity that his attire had to get so bloody, but he was used to this sort of thing. A trip to the dry-cleaners when he made his bi-nightly trip to the human world would take care of it. Although he could've swore the boy was much more powerful than he let on. The all-consuming wave of power he had so displayed in such an off-handed manner... it surpassed his in every respect, and yet he showed no indication of a repeat when he proceeded to pound the life out of him. An interesting event, but more arcane things have happened. Moburu dusted off his pants and brushed a few stray locks of hair back behind his ears, and turned to leave. Casting one last glance at the corpse over his shoulder, he made the first step when something stopped him. There was something off with the situation... but he couldn't tell what. Extending his senses to scan the vicinity, he noticed nothing out of the ordinary and continued on. Which meant he didn't have time to evade the ice kunai flying out of the forest and into his face.

An irritated growl escaped his throat as he tossed the thing away. Whoever threw that knew what he had done, and was an ice wielder. His mind quickly pinpointed the movement of a certain someone moving through the underbrush to cover their tracks when they launched the next one (or hide, whichever), and he shook his head, a dark chuckle piercing the air. He quickly darted to the offender's hiding spot, holding her up by the throat. _The snow girl?_ He thought. An interesting choice to avenge her friend, but it made no difference. Those who witnessed his work would have to die, hence his swift attack against the girls. He hated killing girls, but he did what he have to. It was what made him so good at his job. However, the snow girl's intrusion kept him from noticing that Tsukune was in fact _not _dead, and was getting up slowly, his wounds healing right in front of Mizore's astounded eyes. She quickly averted her gaze lest Moburu follow her eyes, but it made no difference. He was alerted, so she did the only thing she could think of; she froze him solid from the arm up, ice creeping up his neck and slowing him down. Anger dulling his awareness, he threw the snow girl to the ground, intent on finishing her quickly. He stopped, finally noticing the oppressing hostility emanating from behind him. Tsukune had recovered.

X-X

Tsukune stood before him, the pitch black aura prominent around his slouching form. His original standard red youki one had been replaced with this solid cyclone of hate and evil, and Moburu didn't know what to think of it. He also noticed the boy's appearance had drastically changed; gone were his slightly reptilian eyes with red-brown irises, along with his normal skin pallor. Most of his skin was black from head to toe, save for his arms, neck, and chest. Those were a bloody red, reminiscent of how much he had lost during the beating. Thick black ropy tattoos wound around the unsealed bite marks on his neck and covered most of his shoulders, while his eyes were surrounded by red variants of his neck tattoos. The eyes themselves were completely red, and appeared to be cracked and riddled with indentations. They appeared to be backlit just like Moburu's, but much more intimidating. His hair, only containing single strands of silver before, was now fully white, and would have been as beautiful as Inner Moka's had it not been adorning such a monstrosity's head. The miraculous thing was that he looked none the worse for wear; his ribs were no longer deformed, his chest moved smoothly and evenly, and he was standing with no difficulty whatsoever. A miracle, save for the demonic side effects. Moburu didn't know exactly what had provoked the change, but the situation was still the same. Tsukune Aono still drew breath, and Moburu's mission was to make that breathing cease forever.

What stopped him was not Mizore, who had retreated to safety shortly after he turned to witness the transformed Tsukune, nor how oppressive the new aura, black as the boy himself was. It was the pure, unimpeded evil radiating out from his eyes. It was as if he were completely devoid of all emotion, let alone any thought. There was only one thing raging in those horrible red eyes, and it was the goal and urge to sate his thirst, albeit much more prominent and stood side by side with a paramount need to destroy everything in its path to get to it. This was a man who knew no concept of mercy, and would scoff at all things lovely and beautiful. That is, if he had the time to while he was ripping such things apart with the claws adorning his hands. With an inhuman roar that shook the trees and induced fear in every living thing for kilometers around, the figure hunched over further, as if preparing to explode. And explode he did. Leathery, bat-like wings sprouted from his back, at least a full meter in length each with the impressive grace of that of the eagle unfurling its wings. A beast straight out of hell stood tall and proud, no sign whatsoever remaining of the boy called Tsukune Aono.

And it wanted revenge, first. Revenge for the one who had nearly killed it before it could give him a taste of his own medicine. And it had the power to make this weakling pay. It would pay in spades, and would scream for mercy before it was done with him. Not that it would give him anything of the sort. It started its routine of torture by giving off a cyclone of energy that would easily rival Inner Moka's, the whirlwind drowning out all noise and setting Moburu on edge. The man slipped into a stance similar to the one Tsukune had used against him earlier, but it would make no difference. The monster was by his side so quick he couldn't even catch the movement it made. Which should have been impossible, considering it was broad daylight and the all-black monster stood out like a sore thumb. And how do you move so quickly with a two meter wingspan? These thoughts were lost as the beast drove an elbow into Moburu's ribs hard enough to break them and send him flying back over the crater and near the path where Moburu had left the girls. The monster slowly ambled out into the opening, pondering how next to deliver some much deserved pain.

Moburu was in trouble. He had been in his fair share of fights before, and none of his adversaries had been strong enough to break bone in one blow. He was pretty sure none of his organs were punctured, which was a good thing, but that would be trivial if he couldn't match this monstrosity's speed and immense strength. He would definitely die if he didn't do something quickly; the thing was, he had no aces up his sleeve. He had come here expecting a simple hand to hand brawl that would end up with him as the victor. It happened, but the trick was he wasn't the victor for more than twenty seconds. With a grunt, he got to his feet once again, holding his side and preparing himself to face the monster again.

Kurumu just woke up in time to see Moburu fly out of the trees in obvious anguish, landing by the path and holding his side as if in great pain. Apparently, Tsukune had given him a good one if he got that much air time. A smile took place on her lips as she got to her feet, ready to cheer him on as he emerged from the foliage. But the thing that emerged was definitely _not _Tsukune...

The monster was pleased it could already sense fear in the weakling. Fear was a nice addition to the satisfaction of killing and maiming its target before draining the victim dry. It was the salt to its meal, you could say. And this little morsel was giving off plenty of it, filling its head with the heady aroma. It purred, each new sensation fresh to its reborn senses. It was gone before any of the bystanders could catch it, though, as it was too impatient to play with its food for too long. This one would suffer, but it wouldn't take more than five minutes. Then the rest would follow in death shortly.

Materializing in front of the wary Moburu's shaky form once again, it stared at him and cocked its head as it took in the fact that he was trying to fight back. Meaningless and futile, but interesting all the same. When the lopsided punch slowly made its way to the monster's face, it simply moved out of the way and slammed a sharp elbow into his back, sending him to his knees. Following through with a kick on the ass that sent him skidding through the dirt and proceeding to pick him up by the throat, it stared into his defiant eyes with globes devoid of thought or emotion. Its hand squeezed, making him struggle for breath, before violently shoving him into the ground once more. It formed its claws into a five-pronged dagger and shoved it into Moburu's back, twisting it to milk all the pain it could out of the now inferior man. It dug the hand deeper, as if trying to reach organs, as Moburu vainly tried to stave off the tremendously painful attack by crawling away. But it only made it worse. It ripped out a good chunk of flesh and kicked the grunting cur further across the ground. The girls only watched in horror as their best friend acted in such savage malice, their mouths agape and their eyes shocked. Deer in headlights, if you will.

Moburu wasn't done, regardless of the terrible wounds he had received. Blood was copiously pouring from the wound in his back, and his ribs were paining him considerably. But this would not stop him. He would kill this Aono boy, or he would be killed in the process. With a final surge of his considerable youki, he charged at the immobile monster, driving his hand through the air with enough power to elicit visible sparks in an attempt to put an open palmed strike clean through his adversary's heart with enough power to break through the toughest steel in the world.

It merely held up its own palm and stopped the strike in its tracks. The ground violently cracked, tiny bits of rubble erupting behind the monster, creating a crater from the force of an immobile figure taking enough force to cut through a mountain and remaining where it was. Moburu's similarly red eyes simply widened in awestruck surprise that the beast held its place against his second most powerful attack. The implications of such power... it struck him to his core. This was not Tsukune Aono's normal power. It was not even the level of power he witnessed in the dreamworld. No, this was something more... something that shouldn't exist, couldn't exist, but did. Was this the power of... a ghoul?

X-X

The girls could only stare at the menacing figure of what used to be Tsukune giving Moburu his own personal little taste of hell, and were thoroughly terrified at what they saw. To stop a strike giving off its own energy in the visible spectrum with one hand... awesome. They couldn't help feel a tiny smidgeon of malicious glee that Moburu was getting his after what he did to Tsukune, but the obvious evil emanating from the monstrosity was too permeating to ignore. Mizore didn't know what to do, Moka could only stand there, powerless, waiting for the inevitable after the ghoul decided to finish off Moburu. Kurumu, however, could only see a tormented Tsukune driven past his limits and was taking it out on Moburu. He deserved it, but this was a little much. She hesitantly started walking toward the two, not wanting to be caught in the path of the two extremely power monsters' wake, but she wanted to get to Tsukune and she was going to do it. Moka noticed her slow advance and called out her name, trying to bring her back from such blatant insanity. Her pleas were ignored, even so when even Mizore reached out to stop her. That... thing... may have the body of Tsukune, but it was not, under any circumstances, him at the core, and it was dangerous. Kurumu was heading on a suicide mission.

"Tsukune?" she called hesitantly. The ghoul had taken Moburu's hand in its fist and was slowing crushing it into bone meal, eliciting a painful shriek from the once-proud monster. Presently, it abandoned that idea and sent an open palm strike of its own into Moburu's chest, giving him wounds nearly identical to the ones he gave Tsukune prior. With the newest injury, one of his lungs were definitely pierced, and almost all his ribs had been broken. Each breath brought more blood to his mouth, the excess running down his chin. If the ghoul's form was grotesque, its handiwork was even more so, and Moburu had never been in more pain in his life. A shame he would be outmatched by a mere boy, but it was just one job he had underestimated. The pain was too much, and he fell to one knee, cursing under his breath and defenseless.

The ghoul saw that its prey was now unable to fight efficiently, and walked its way over to the fallen warrior. Cocking its head again, it contemplated the absurdity of the once powerful man reduced to grovelling in the dirt. Either way, it would feed now. The blood tasted best when it came from a live source, and this one looked especially tasty. Boring its demonic eyes into the weakened man's own and telling him that whatever he tried, if anything, would be futile, it sunk its ridiculously long fangs into Moburu's neck hard enough to spray blood from the openings in its lips. It reveled in the spray of the wonderful fluid dripping down its chin and chest, and drunk eagerly, sating the ever present thirst it possessed ever since its awakening. But when it was no longer hungry and had the appropriate amount, it didn't stop. It meant to drain him dry, for the blood tasted like Venice's finest wine to the monster's burning throat, and it would not stop.

Kurumu was almost directly behind the beast now, appalled it was sucking the man's blood so vigorously, as if it hadn't tasted blood once in its life (which was technically true). Almost instinctively she knew what she needed to do; she needed to love him with her whole heart.

"Tsukune-kun! Tsukune-kun, can you hear me?" One of the monster's wings twitched angrily, and without thinking her own came forth of their own volition. He simply looked too sexy with those huge wings. Attractiveness aside, she resumed trying to get his attention. It wasn't working, whatever she tried. He just kept bleeding the dying man dry. Finally, she approached him from the side, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tender hug. That got his attention. It pushed down the limp form of Moburu and stood to its full height, finally staring down at the petite girl latched onto it. It once again cocked its head at the odd phenomenon, temporarily stunned at the sweet motion. It simply wasn't used to tenderness; all it knew, and all it had received was pain and suffering and blood. But this, this was unexpected. Before her smell could reach the monster's nose, though, she quickly leaned up and kissed it full on the lips.

X-X

_Tsukune was trapped. When he had finally succumbed to the demon's incessant rambling, he had blacked out and therefore went to the dreamworld once again. But this time, there were so many of the ugly and monstrous black ones that he couldn't see any of his normal soul fragments at all. As soon as he touched the non-existent ground, all of the unknown fragments' heads snapped to his position with an equal look of hate on them. Quickly circling over his head, the monstrous beasts swooped down one at a time, slashing at him repeatedly. It was a good thing they couldn't hurt him here. However, they quickly caught on that they weren't doing anything, so four of them hovered down with immense shackles in their claws. Tsukune knew these would hold him, and he tried to escape the cyclone of monsters, but to his dismay he couldn't get through. The shackles fell on him from behind, ensnaring him in their grasp. They floated back up with him as their cargo, and carried him off to whatever prison they were going to hold him captive in._

_He was finally dropped into a white room totally unlike the dreamworld he had come to know. It was small, cubic, and had a mural of an angel painted on one wall and one of a devil on the other. In the median wall was a crucifix, presumably where he would be held. After all, there were no other features in the room, and his shackles looked like they would fit the crucifix like a glove. Lo and behold, one of the demon's fragments materialized beside him and dragged him to the cross, latching him to it. Resigned to his fate as a prisoner of his own mind, Tsukune simply hung his head and did nothing to resist. The devil mural seemed to be moving as if it were a pool of water instead of stone..._

_Time passed, but Tsukune's situation never changed. Other than some odd voices coming from both murals, there was no difference between then and now. Once, he thought he heard his name called faintly through the mural of the angel, but he disregarded it as a figment of his own imagination. After all, the pain had started; a fragment had appeared and had started stabbing him all over with a trident. Unluckily for him, his wounds were only mental and each time it was torn out, his form was unscathed. This went on for quite some time, with Tsukune enduring it solely because there __was no escape and he could do absolutely nothing at all._

_Kurumu fell through the reddish sky and fell upon the non-existent ground. Looking around, she saw monsters of various size and ugliness flying around. She ignored them; she was only here for her Tsukune and nothing would stop her. Some of the fragments flew over to her and tried eradicating her, but she quickly fought them off with her claws. Setting her jaw, she took to the sky (or what could be called a sky in this realm) and started searching for clues as to where he was. She saw a contingent of fragments flying off in a flock to some corner of the dimension, so she followed them from a distance. Lo and behold, they disappeared in a ripple, seemingly going through the reality of the dream. She followed, not sure what to expect. When she finally made it through the barrier, she saw a pure white cube floating in space some ways off. That was sure to be where he was, so she ventured further into the realm to get to it. _

_While Kurumu encountered resistance, it was nothing she couldn't handle, and she made it to the cube in record time. But when she tried to enter, it shocked her with a jolt of electricity._

"_Well how the hell am I supposed to get in this thing?! Tsukune?" she said. In response to her voice, one side of the cube rippled like the barrier had, only more subtly. _

_Tsukune swore he could hear a louder voice coming from the angel mural at this point, and it sounded extremely familiar. In fact, the ghoul fragment paused in its torture to ponder the new event, and went to investigate. It went right through the angel mural and presumably to the outside. Kurumu was waiting for something like this, as the exiting demon revealed how to enter and exit the cube. Apparently she had to go through one of the sides. Dispatching the rogue demon, she flew into the box at breakneck speed._

_Imagine Tsukune's surprise as he lays eyes on the petite succubus flying through the mural into his personal torture chamber. _Oh, great, _he thought. _Now they're going to use my own treasures to torture me._ He simply hung his head in resignation, waiting for the pain. But none would come. Instead, Kurumu simply ran up to him and hugged him, pulling his face down into her breasts. "Oh, Tsukune! You... and the ghoul... and Moburu... so much blood... you're okay, right?"_

_He motioned to his restraints and softly told her he had been brought here soon after succumbing to the demon inside. Kurumu, knowing what it was as Moka had told her before going off to her apparent death, told him the true nature of that voice and freed him. Unexpectedly, the devil mural started whispering to him, beckoning him closer with its soft words. The angel one remained silent. Kurumu was still running her mouth about how hard it was to find him in this hellhole and all that while Tsukune wandered closer to the mural of the devil. He peered closer, trying to determine who or what was whispering to him. But as his face was mere centimeters away, the picture of the devil scowled and lunged out at him, trying to capture him in its clutches. Luckily, Tsukune jumped back, more than happy to stay away. Kurumu noticed she was being ignored and promptly dragged him back through the angel mural. She wasn't too happy about being ignored._

_They were back in the normal dreamworld, and had defeated most of the ghoul fragments. But the only one left to defeat was the leader, and he was nowhere to be seen. They searched all over and under the realm, but couldn't find him. Tsukune soon got an idea; he would try and get the ghoul to sleep. And so he did; pulling forth all memories of sleep and his previous encounters in the dreamworld (as well as unconsciously releasing the sleep hormone in his body). Soon enough, __the ghoul itself landed in the realm not too far away. Now the only thing left was to defeat it and he could get his body back. _

_The ghoul simply laughed in the face of the duo, genuinely amused to see them trying to retake what it had conquered. Here, it was able to speak and think, the mental embodiment not fully consumed with the need to kill and feed._

"_I take it you're trying to reclaim your body, right? Good luck with that. I've been in here ever since your blood awakened, and I know this place in and out like the back of my hand. You can't stop me, and neither can your little friend."_

_A vein pulsed in Kurumu's forehead while Tsukune just slipped into a battle stance. The ghoul was one hell of a powerful monster, and while it was true he was more powerful in here than he was in the real world, that meant Tsukune was as well. The ghoul kept laughing, not thinking Tsukune a threat, until he finally let loose his massive aura, similar to the one used when he encountered Moburu for the third time. It was not purple anymore, but the normal flowing red, albeit with those same blue tinges on the edge. At the impressive display of power, the ghoul stopped and regarded Tsukune with a curious eye. _

"_You're really serious, aren't you? Very well, have it your way." And with that, it sped toward Tsukune at a breakneck pace, going for a drive to the face that would knock him down. When Kurumu stepped forward to help, Tsukune put out a hand, telling her that this was his fight and his alone. He readied his own sledgehammer fist and charged toward the ghoul in response. It sure was weird going up against yourself, albeit a darker doppelganger, but the principle was the same. Either way, he had to get his body back. When the energy had flowed in from Moburu's body, he knew that the demon was on a hunt for blood, and would not stop until he had as much as his body could physically carry. And that did not sit right with Tsukune's soul. A monster of such malicious intent must be stopped, regardless of what happened to him. He would destroy this inner demon of his, or he would die trying and become a ghoul forever._

**Author's Notes: **And there you have it, chapter 7. I kinda lost the drive to write this after the underwhelming response to the last chapter, so here you go. Hopefully you guys enjoyed the twist I brought about. *in announcer voice* Tsukune fallen! A monster awakened! Kurumu intervenes! Can the pure-hearted boy defeat his own demon? Find out next time in...! Chapteeeer 8! Anyway, please, tell me what you guys think. It helps with the little details and with motivation. As always, enjoy yourselves. Addio, my friends.


	8. True Colors

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

_Tsukune would _not_ be defeated by a bloodthirsty demon. He simply wouldn't allow it. The repercussions of failure rang through his head as he charged toward the dark facsimile of himself, signature haymaker flying. The ghoul leered at him in malicious glee as he copied the move with the opposite hand. The clash released an explosive amount of energy; so much so, that Kurumu couldn't see what happened until it abated. When it did, it revealed a struggling Tsukune and similar ghoul holding their punches with their open hand, effectively seeing who had the more core strength. Both of their arms trembled from the immense force of holding back such powerful strikes. In the dreamworld, Tsukune had more access and control to his youki than in reality, hence how he was able to match the ghoul's ridiculous strength. It seems as though it is weaker here; in reality, the ghoul draws strength both from its own bloodlust and the original body's strength, but without the original strength in its repertoire, it was basically as powerful as Tsukune. Either way, it was a damn good thing he had been infused with a generous amount of Moka's vampiric blood earlier, as the blow had almost crushed his hand._

_The ghoul only stared at him, the leer still present on its face, daring him to falter for even the slightest moment. It wouldn't need much; the struggle was already leaning toward the ghoul's favor. Seeing this, Tsukune channeled the last of his reserves into his arms, giving it his all to stop the monster. It would've worked, too, but harbingers of evil never played fair. Seeing that it would eventually be outmatched, the beast ducked under Tsukune's arms and darted behind him to put Kurumu in a stranglehold before she could react. It wasn't a death hold, or one meant to maim or otherwise, oddly enough. It was merely meant to hold her captive. Regardless, now Tsukune's consciousness wasn't the only one on the line; if Kurumu were to be defeated as she was in Tsukune's own psyche, her own would be destroyed as well, leaving her body little more than a vegetable. When he saw she wasn't in the least afraid (in fact, a look of pure disgust had taken shape there), a surge of pride erupted in his chest, but it was close matched by the immense and immediate fear he held for her well being. Held in the stranglehold as she was, her claws would do her no good, and she couldn't escape by herself without serious injury._

"_What do you want with her, you beast?!" he yelled in absolute fury. "Your fight is with me and me alone!"_

_The ghoul only strengthened its grip. "All you have to do is submit and let me rule," it said evenly. "It will be over before you feel a thing, and your little friend here can die peacefully as well. What do you say, boy?"_

_Tsukune's jaw stiffened, and to Kurumu's horror it looked as if he were actually considering it for a second. He peered into her amethyst eyes to see what she thought, but all she was saying was "fight back!" He simply couldn't go up against the ghoul in this situation, even though his vampire blood demanded its painful and merciless death. He cast his eyes downward in near defeat. Thrown into indecision by his predicament, his confusion and pure rage escalated to tremendous heights; the gigantic amount of youki emanating from him had left Kurumu's mouth agape, even though he hadn't noticed it. In fact, it rivaled even Inner Moka's in stature, albeit nowhere near as controlled. If he had seen himself, he would've been proud to see that he could at least match the __silver haired beauty if pushed to the limits, but such things were inconsequential in the face of a hostage situation._

_Lowly, a deep and terrifying growl erupted from Tsukune's throat. "**You let go of her right now you monster.**" He was visibly shaking from the intense emotions running rampant within him. But it was all for naught. He couldn't do anything and the ghoul knew it._

_Unbeknownst to any of them, some of Tsukune's soul fragments had started circling high above their heads in response to the influx of powerful emotion raging in Tsukune's psyche. And the higher his confusion and rage, the more and more appeared. When Tsukune looked up again, both ghoul and captive were surprised to see his moderately reptilian pupils and red-brown irises fully transformed into their vampiric counterparts, and his hair was bleeding silver as they watched. He looked absolutely magnificent in vampire form with the all-consuming cyclone of energy swarming around him (at least, that's what Kurumu thought), and he couldn't be more useless. But he would try something, dammit. He couldn't let the monster have free reign over his body and destroy the school. _

_Just as Tsukune readied to use his energy to the fullest and dash to the ghoul as fast as inhumanly possible, hundreds of soul fragments dove down, all aiming for the ghoul. It didn't know they were there as it was still enrapt by Tsukune's mighty show of power. By the time it was too late and it looked up to see what was going on above its head, the swarm of fragments had overwhelmed it, tearing Kurumu from its grasp and surrounding it in a flurry of claws, fists, and sometimes teeth. Kurumu quickly got away, taking advantage of the distraction, for that was all it was. The ghoul took some shallow injuries from the barrage, but it efficiently annihilated them with an explosion of youki. That was all Tsukune needed, however, as he darted in faster than the eye could see and delivered a devastating uppercut to the ghoul's jaw, sending it flying quite the distance away. Before it could even land, Tsukune had already caught up and sent a sideways kick that drove the monster face first into the ground. He kicked it over to watch as it was defeated by his own hands. The beast merely coughed up ephemeral blood and gave him a spiteful grin. It knew it was defeated, but it was not done yet. _

"_You may have your body back now, boy," it rasped. It was gasping for breath, seemingly weak, tempting Tsukune into walking a bit closer to its fallen form. When he was in grasp, the ghoul came to life and gripped his forearm in a powerful grip, the sharpened finger nails digging furrows into the flesh. Its smile only widened when it saw that its plan had worked. "But you will always have the darker side of the vampire blood toiling in your veins." Now truly weakened, its arm fell away, resting by its side. Its life force was dwindling, and with it, its form. Disintegrating into a dark ash with no remnants, it was gone for good. Almost. Tsukune brought his arm up to inspect the deep furrows the ghoul had left as a going away present. It had left a part of itself with him to keep itself alive, at least in spirit. And now the kind and compassionate boy would always carry evil and hate deep in his heart. At least it was better than being completely overrun by the raging hate the ghoul always carried. He only stared at where the monster used to be, pondering what had happened. Kurumu was excited about its defeat and practically leaped to the silent boy's side. But she saw that he was not okay and that his eyes were dulled by the somber expression on his face. Tsukune had essentially destroyed a part of himself, even if it had been initially brought forth from the vampire blood, but it was no easy feat to do so and come out unscathed. His silence worried her; it reminded her too much of the time he had been in a battle of wills with the ghoul. Tsukune was always a happy-go-lucky fellow; every day he had that innocent smile on his face and was always as nice as those stereotypical Canadians. The anger was rarer, but his kindness was his redeeming feature, not this... sullenness._

_When his voice came, soft and reproachful, Kurumu's head snapped up with a questioning look on her face. "To think that... that monster could have been me... to think I had the potential to be every bit as hateful as the worst of them... it scares me, Kurumu-san. To think that a part of yourself would revel in the destruction of the world, the death of your friends, the all-consuming _hate..." _His voice trailed off in sorrowful thought. Kurumu only looked on with pity in her eyes, for once in her life lost for words. She always had something to say, be it pompous or soothing, but this... this was beyond her._

_After a minute or so, she quietly told him they should return to the real world, and she ought to do it quickly. Staying too long in someone else's psyche could be potentially damaging to the invader's own. He only gave a curt nod in agreement and she grabbed onto his arm, her wings unfurling behind her as she lifted the two of them out of the dreamworld. Oddly, the soul fragments that had attacked the ghoul floated underneath them, watching them intently as they left. It was an odd sight._

X-X

Even though Moka was initially horrified that Kurumu had asked for death by walking up to the bloodthirsty ghoul and _kissed _him, but when she saw it pause, stock still, she knew that it was no ordinary kiss. Soon enough, Tsukune's skin startled rippling from white to black to gray, as if unsure as to what color it should take. The huge wings had started retracting, too. The odd thing was his hair stayed the same vibrant silver, as radiant as Inner Moka's own. Everything else became uncertain as his features started rearranging themselves. Even his nails had retracted to their normal size. Eventually, the normal version of their best friend finally took place under Kurumu's tender care, and they both opened their eyes at the same time as they ended the one-sided kiss. Even the fact that Kurumu had kissed him didn't faze the sullen boy. Moka and Mizore ran over to them (well, more like Moka ran and Mizore materialized behind them somehow), each wondering what had happened. Kurumu quickly explained, as Tsukune went over to the now unconscious Moburu and hoisted him onto his shoulders as if he were a sack of potatoes and carried him off to the direction of the infirmary.

"So you're saying he called down the essence of the ghoul from within his own psyche and destroyed it?" Moka asked, unbelieving of the wild tale. She had never heard something like this before.

"Yeah, but at the last minute the ghoul... I dunno... sort of _implanted_ a portion of itself into Tsukune. It seems as if he will always have evil lurking in his heart. But I'm sure he will be able to handle such a small dose compared to the full fledged monster I saw," Kurumu explained.

"Tsukune-kun really defeated the ghoul all by himself?" Mizore said dreamily. To her, Tsukune was the knight in shining armor, defending them from himself by killing the evil beast. Kurumu nodded an affirmation and Mizore let a small smile play across her lips before disappearing again, presumably to go stalk Tsukune again.

Inner Moka was still skeptical, however. Voicing her concerns through her outer self, Kurumu only told her to the best of her ability that the threat had ended, as the ghoul had quite literally disintegrated before her eyes. Inner Moka accepted it, but warily. She would have to watch them when they actually started their training sessions to see how the after-effects of becoming a ghoul had on Tsukune's personality. Speaking of training, why hadn't they started already? Was he avoiding her or something? Inner Moka would be sure to bring up the subject in her usual blunt manner when she was next released. Omote could only feel pity for her best friend at his ensuing treatment.

Tsukune dropped the new student off in the infirmary and headed to homeroom, hoping to meet his friends on the way there. But before he could make it, a courier (_A courier?! Seriously? _was his original thought) delivered a letter to him, stating it was from the headmaster. Tsukune quickly opened it; apparently it was a summons from the headmaster himself and he was expected immediately. Tsukune had a foreboding feeling in his gut as he trashed the letter and made his way in the general direction of the headmaster's office. He still didn't know where the damn place was.

X-X

As soon as he knocked on the oak doors (after finally finding it), they creaked open as slowly as possible without any indication as to who opened them. What made it weird was they opened inward...

Anyway, he headed inside, only to see a mysterious man in white priest's robes hunched over a similarly oaken desk at the back of a dark room with barely any light. Skulls and cages and other such dark paraphernalia hung around the edges of the room while small candles showed the general path to the desk. Tsukune was, predictably, scared out of his wits, but he put on his bravest face anyway.

"**It has been made known to me that there was a rather... interesting scuffle between you and the new student today, Aono-kun," **the headmaster said in a deep and eery voice before Tsukune could even say anything. He only looked down guiltily as the man's glowing eyes, so similar to the bus driver's, seemed to peer into his very soul. **"In fact, I received a report saying that you sent the poor boy to the infirmary. Is this really how we treat our new students?"**

"But he planted a foot in my chest before I could even say anything!" came Tsukune's protest. "And I really don't believe he's a teenager! Have you _seen_ the outfit he's wearing?"

"**The school makes exceptions for students whose traditions contrast with the rules, as long as they do not overstep the bounds," **the headmaster said with a smug chuckle. **"As to his age, he simply did not have the opportunity to enroll before this time. We are not solely a school for young students, Aono-kun. Any and all uneducated monsters are welcome here."**

Defeated, Tsukune could only hang his head in the face of the headmaster's reasoning. He was, after all, the puppeteer of this macabre puppet show. But the headmaster was not yet finished. **"I understand that something else happened as a result of this little escapade, am I correct?"** Tsukune's head snapped up with lightning speed. His eyes, now a full vampiric red with appropriate slitted pupils, narrowed when he saw the headmaster knew more than he let on. He could only guess how much he knew about the ghoul. He only replied with a terse "Yes, sensei," before resuming his stoic guard. It still needed work, but with enough practice he would get it down. Mikogami only resumed that eery chuckle that made the hairs on the back of his neck tingle, and dismissed him with a warning and a request to 'check up on our new fellow when you get the chance.'

The meeting was the very quintessence of creepy, but the memory quickly left his head as he returned to class. The girls would be eager to see that he was well and to see what the headmaster had wanted from him. Mikogami only watched the door close in its agonizingly slow pace, chuckling the entire time and his paperwork momentarily forgotten. **"From simple and defenseless human to proud and powerful vampire... what an interesting day," **the headmaster mused. It would be an interesting year with this peculiar boy attending, indeed. And the intense rivalry between Moburu and Tsukune would only add to the fun. Mikogami's eyes gleamed in anticipation.

Kurumu and Moka were almost attacking Tsukune to get him to spill the beans. Very few students received personal summons from the headmaster himself, and all of them were extremely happy to see that he was back to his normal self. Well, almost.

Inner Moka had not missed how his hair had turned completely silver, and his eyes had completely changed into their vampiric counterparts. _A true vampire through and through,_ she thought. _Well then. I will have to test his mettle as a vampire to the fullest first thing during training session number one. _The prospect of a heated fight between them had her vampire blood boiling, and she hummed in pure anticipation.

Of course, the others caught on soon enough. Mizore had popped out from under the table, pointing out his now completely silver hair. Predictably, he ran to the nearest bathroom to see that he had in fact become a full vampire. While he was mildly excited by the prospect, it also meant that all traces of his humanity had now been eradicated. In other words, he was both happy and remiss that the transformation was finally complete. It must have had something to do with the whole ghoul fiasco and Moka's last super-injection, but as long as he was fine, it didn't matter. So he slowly went back to the classroom, pondering what exactly would happen now that he was a full monster. What he didn't expect was another fight.

Some kid in the back had noticed the signature traits of a vampire in the Aono boy and had promptly thought himself strong enough to take on a full vampire. However, Mizore and Kurumu weren't having it, especially since he had just recently been cured from his ghoul nature. With an ice kunai in the poor boy's forehead and shallow slashes across both of his cheeks, the offender was sent running back to his seat before Tsukune even sat down. It was appreciated, but all he wanted to do at this point is sleep. He hadn't been getting much rest ever since the whole thing started, and now that it was done he was ready to turn in. A pity that it was still the middle of the day.

Lunch had gone by normally for once, and their music class was finally not as depressed as it was before. The girls all gave him their own special, yet enthusiastic goodbyes when it was time to head in. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened today, but Moka and Tsukune were getting a bit riled up in anticipation of their training session tomorrow. It was their free day, so that left a near 14 hours of straight combat practice to work with. Tsukune was genuinely afraid, while Moka (well, Inner was, at least) was excited. Outer Moka only wished that her inner self didn't maim him with her over the top fighting.

When Tsukune finally got into his room, he simply tossed his blazer and undershirt into the hamper and more or less fell onto the bed, ready for sleep. Forget homework, he could do that later. Still, some things had to be done, and he got up, going about putting his stuff away and getting ready for bed. When he passed by the window where his study desk was, he saw that a girl's room light was on in the other building, and lo and behold, his precious Moka sat at her own desk, studying this week's topic of trigonometry. Fate would have it that she look up at the same time he caught sight of her, and they gave a timid wave, amused that their rooms were parallel to each other. His heart couldn't help but flutter when he saw she was only in her pajamas and her hair was slightly askew. She just looked so cute in the pink garment that matched her candy bangs so well. Hers couldn't resist doing the same when she noticed he was wearing nothing but his pants and his hair was as unkempt as a mop. For some reason, the silver made his hairdo all the more attractive to her. And to Mizore, who was intently watching from her new favorite spot.

_Wow, Tsukune-kun, maybe this whole thing was for the best,_ she mused. _You look really great with that physique... _She had taken to skipping her own third period gym class to see Tsukune do his own exercises. At first, he was a bit clumsy and weak, but after the transformation he had really pulled through, much to a surprised and pleased Kotsubo-sensei. Mizore hated his guts for what he did earlier in the year, but it was worth seeing her precious Tsukune. And now that he was in all his vampiric glory, she could only imagine his potential. Which, unbeknownst to any of them, was much greater than_ anyone _could have imagined, but that will come in time...

X-X

_The dreams now seemed friendly, what with the inherent evil fragments completely gone with the destruction of the ghoul. Tsukune simply wandered this time, wondering what exactly he was supposed to do. He noticed a fragment was behind him again and turned to face it. It just so happened to be the same fragment representing his sense of justice and good that he had talked to before Moburu's appearance._

"_Hello again, Nameless," it said._

"_My name is _not_ nameless!" Tsukune yelled at it._

_It had no eyebrows, but it would have raised one if it did. "Then what is your true name, boy?"_

_Tsukune almost expected the response, as he had been thinking of what his true name might be all the time he had been here. Still, he had no clue. His face scrunched up in thought, eyes searching the ground for answers that weren't there. He thought about how he had been enrolled in Youkai Academy against his will, how he met Moka, his best friend, and how the vampire blood within him had nearly consumed his very soul. Then the thought about how he would do anything, _anything, _to keep his friends safe. And he discovered what his true name really is._

"_My name... is Paradindaku," he said with confidence. It suited him, right down to the evil still lurking in his veins. And as the word rolled off his tongue he knew it was the correct one. Even more so when the fragment's intense glare softened and brightened._

_Giving him a little bow, it said, "Welcome, Paradindaku, to the Realm of Wisdom. Here, your innermost thoughts and feelings are revealed, and all facets of your personality are here to witness. Do with this realm what you will; now that you have discovered who you really are, the Fragments have no further purpose here. We will come if beckoned, but you will not enter the realm unwillingly anymore. Beware; do not reveal your true name to anyone, for if you do, they will know you almost as intimately as a lover. It is a blessing, and a curse. Farewell, boy, and good luck to you." With that, it took flight once again and rejoined the fragments circling above. One by one, they disappeared, leaving Tsukune by himself. The stupid fragment hadn't told him how to leave or come back willingly, either, but he guessed he was supposed to figure that out on his own. With nothing else to do, he sat down cross-legged and started humming his favorite tune. He unwittingly drifted off to genuine sleep soon after, not even noticing because of how long it had been since he had a dreamless slumber._

X-X

When Tsukune woke up, he felt better than ever and fully rested. He attributed that to coming to terms with his own soul and having a (half) dreamless sleep. That didn't mean he still startled himself when he looked into the mirror and found a muscular young boy with bright silver hair and what should have been menacing red and slitted eyes. Any intimidation brought on by those reptilian eyes was nullified by the inherent and sincere innocence that glowed softly in their background. They narrowed, however, when Tsukune finally remembered that this was the day that Inner Moka would start his official training so that he wasn't a useless punching bag that could bite back anymore. He knew it was going to be rough; the sheer power she emitted almost unconsciously would cow any lesser monster, and her fighting skills were unparalleled by any in their group. She probably had training herself when she was younger, for her to be so damn powerful.

Forgoing his normal white undershirt and pants get-up for a fitness tee and loose shorts, he headed down to the cafeteria to get a bite to eat before getting to know pain more intimately than he would have liked. He was halfway down the path to the school when something in the back of his head went off like an alarm bell. Sensing danger, he quickly sidestepped away, only for a certain cerulean haired succubus to fall flat on her face.

His mouth fell open at the odd phenomenon before quickly snapping it shut and helping her off the ground, mumbling a couple thousand "I'm sorry!"'s and "Forgive me, Kurumu-san!"'s. Predictably, she wasn't too happy about it, but that was resolved when she tried again and he let her hug him in her special way (meaning suffocating him with her chest). "Oh, I forgive you, Tsukune-san! I just didn't expect you to move, is all! I'll totally forgive you if you let me feed you the cookies I baked last night, though!" A little-girl smile had taken place on her face as she rocked the now flailing vampire back and forth. That is, until an ice kunai dug into her forehead.

Mizore was beside them before either of them could blink, clinging onto Tsukune's arm even before he got his breath back. She was content just to nuzzle into his arm while an irate Kurumu picked herself off the ground, fuming the entire time. The ice kunai was torn out and smashed before the succubus made her way to the snow maiden, claws extended. A dazed Tsukune tried to keep them away from each other, but Moka chose just that moment to appear in front of them. The candy-haired vampiress was dressed in form-fitting exercise pants and a green singlet that matched her eyes. The two's eyes went wide as they caught each other's gaze, Kurumu and Mizore momentarily forgotten. His arms fell to his side as his vampiress practically tackled him with a hug, her fangs in his neck before he could even offer a greeting. The two bystanders simply watched in resentment as Moka got her breakfast. Their cheeks, however, went a healthy shade of red when Tsukune's own stomach started rumbling quite loudly. All three of them huddled around (after Tsukune refilled from Kurumu), just glad to be with each other on their free day.

"Well, what do you guys say we go and get something to eat?" Moka asked them. With that, they continued down the path to the school to get their breakfast in preparation for the rigorous training that awaited them.

Bellies full and full of energy, the gang headed to the large meadow used by the fighters' club that was behind the school and beyond the sports fields. It was the perfect spot; open, with no environmental obstacles and shielded from wind. Mizore and Kurumu tagged along mostly because Tsukune was going, but when Moka asked them about it they said that they too would like to train without a second's thought. It wasn't their smartest move, but it could be worse. After all, now they were inviting Inner Moka's sadistic training regimen of doom upon themselves. They didn't know that, though, so they had no regrets, at first.

"Okay, Tsukune, it's time. Would you help me...?" Moka said with a gesture to her rosary. Tsukune was a little more confident in taking it off this, time, but that was mostly because of his full transformation and that he was not in a hospital bed, weak in every sense of the word. Now that he was on (almost) equal footing, he thought that the jaded vampiress wouldn't be as intimidating now that he belonged to her own race. He was wrong. The turbulent and awe-inspiring explosion of youki that always followed Inner Moka's release was still as terrifying as it was before, but he and the other girls were able to hide it. Vampires, especially one of Inner Moka's caliber, were _not_ to be trifled with. Her very aura demanded submission, that they kneel before the superior monster.

"**Well well, Tsukune. We meet again,"** she said, a confident smirk on her face. Mizore's doll-like face only hardened, her own youkai pride refusing to bend its knee to her rival in love. Glancing around and finding little fault in their chosen training ground, Inner Moka gave a curt not before walking some distance away. Tsukune was crestfallen to see her get to the point so coldly, but he guessed it was to be as expected.

Inner Moka was surprised at how _enticing _he looked in his vampiric state. Muscle built to match his new power, and blood red, slitted eyes looking back at her own made a small, almost forgotten feeling rise in her chest. It didn't help that his tee was too small, and his well defined torso and arms practically bulged in the clothing. A normal human would mistake him for an athletic nut. He looked almost as powerful as Kahlua as he was, but she would have to test that first. It was a good thing she had had Omote get her some fitting training clothes, because she would _not _train in a skirt. Awakening to a fight as soon as she was released didn't allow for a change of clothes, but this was premeditated.

"**Kurumu, Mizore. You two should spar with each other until I teach Tsukune the ropes. He needs to get the basics down before all else. I saw that you guys have some experience with fighting, so entertain yourselves." **To Tsukune, she said, **"Okay, Tsukune. You ready? Good. I want to test just how good your reflexes are." **That was her only warning before she nearly teleported in front of him, sending kicks to his head and legs so quickly that Mizore and Kurumu couldn't even keep track. Luckily, finishing his transformation had improved his battle senses considerably. So much so, that only he was able to see her charge toward him and prepare the kick that she was aiming for his head. He could see the faint distortion around her leg and ankle that signified a large build-up of youki in the limb and the ensuing attack that was aimed at him. He could see it all, and it was a matter of waiting until she started the execution to see where it was intended to land. Having made the move to dodge that, he noticed several more tiny shimmers of distortion that appeared in her other leg and arm, and prepared to dodge those as well. She was damn fast, but he was able to keep out of range so that the powerful strikes didn't land. If by how much distortion given off was anything to go by, which it was since youki still gave off visible effects in excess, he could gauge how much power she put behind the blows. And that power was tremendous. No matter how efficient a fighter was, a small excess of raw energy was always emitted when it concentrated in a single area. The resulting visible portion was therefore directly proportional to the amount concentrated. Skilled combatants could see this distortion and map their opponents' strikes accordingly. Kick after kick, punch after punch, Tsukune did his best to stay away from those dangerous limbs. Inner Moka was pleased to see he was able to keep up with her, but she wondered how he would do when she kicked it up a notch. She was only testing him, and this was but a small measure of what she could do.

Tsukune's eyes widened when he quickly saw that this was _not_ her full potential and that she was only holding back. When the strikes came faster and faster, he had to give his all just to keep the damn fists and feet from rearranging his face. He tried using an X-block with his forearms to absorb the blow from a punch he couldn't dodge in time, but that ended in excruciating pain throbbing from the bones in his poor forearms. Apparently not even her full power was necessary to break the bones of those who weren't versed well in the art of combat. His respect for her grew when he realized this, and stuck to trying to brush aside her attacks or evade them outright instead of trying to get his arms crushed by her devastating hits. Mizore and Kurumu could only watch in awe as the two S-class monsters went at it faster than the eye could see, Inner Moka dishing out blows so quickly they didn't even see her pull back her arms to deliver another crushing punch that surely would have bruised his kidney had he not knocked it aside with a forearm. To watch a sparring match between two vampires was almost as much a privilege as meeting a Dark Lord; the results were astonishing and an amazing sight to witness.

Tsukune was tiring, though. He simply wasn't ready to go for full out hand to hand combat, and he knew that if he didn't do something, he would fall victim to one of those horrible harbingers of pain. Desperate, he called upon everything he had, unwittingly drawing upon his own youki and put an open palm in her chest to give himself some breathing room. To say that she was surprised would be an understatement; she didn't even think that Tsukune wouldn't use his own youki to fight. In fact, he had been using only his natural muscle to get by. Of course, he was so much stronger than the average karate student, but brute strength wasn't the only thing vampires held in their arsenal. Sure, channeling their youki into pure strength was what made them infamous among the various races, but they were extremely strong without the supernatural energy. Panting profusely, Tsukune drew himself up in a standard boxing stance, now conscious of his youki's flow and trying to channel it to his legs. He would need the extra speed if he were to last much longer against the cold-hearted vampiress. Her eyebrows narrowing, she dug into him again with a passion, determined to show him that he was in no way stronger than her and any and all attempts to outclass her would only end in pain. He simply didn't notice as he was too occupied dealing with the new assault. He was completely opposed to injure her himself, so he had to resort to dodges and sidesteps if he didn't want to get destroyed. But that was all over when his slowly retreating foot hit a small rock hidden in the grass.

Balance gone, Inner Moka saw the opening and lunged in with a sideways kick that was strong enough to put any lower monster in their place. The impact between his chest and her foot caused a miniature explosion as he rocketed backwards, slamming into a huge oak bordering the meadow. He stuck to its side for a solid few seconds before sliding down to the tree's base with a grunt, a small amount of blood dribbling from his mouth. Kurumu and Mizore had started their own sparring earlier and hadn't noticed the tremendous shift in the battle, but they stopped to witness Inner Moka's handiwork when they heard the explosion. Eyes wide, witnessing Tsukune's obvious pain from such a ridiculously powerful kick was almost too much for them. All they could feel was shock. Inner Moka's youki release was something to behold, but this... they had never seen anything like it.

Inner Moka was a little disappointed he had gone down so quickly. It told her that he wasn't as powerful a vampire as appearances suggested. She turned to retrieve the rosary to end the training session for herself, seeing as their battle was finished. Kurumu and Mizore could keep training if they wished. Now, where was that damn thing...?

What she didn't expect was the gigantic blip growing on her youki radar, indicating that Tsukune was down but _definitely _not out. By the size of the blip, she guessed that he was giving off absolutely massive amounts of youki. Turning around to see it with her own eyes, the vampiress was shocked to see Tsukune standing, albeit hunched over, with a huge cyclone of red and slightly black energy swarming around him. When he looked up, his eyes were noticeably glowing, as if backlit. Features darkened by his own rampant energy, he asked a simple, yet powerful question.

"**Are we really done already, Moka-chan?"** Eyes widening further when she heard the supernatural voice, she made her way back to the center of the field, surprised that he had recovered from such a blow so quickly. She didn't use that much power on Kokoa herself... (that may have been partly due to the slights he kept committing) And what worried her was the dark twinges of pure black on the very edges of his reddish purple energy, barely noticeable, but still there. She made the gesture to continue warily, and almost didn't catch his dashing sprint to meet her head on. Eyes narrowing to angry red slits, she dodged and evaded the wild and powerful jabs he was sending her way. His aura was still highly active, so that meant he wasn't holding back anything at all now (or so she thought), and Inner Moka was on her guard for the first time since coming to the school. A vampire operating at full youki output was something no one wanted to fight, especially if it was at the level Tsukune was showing. It rivaled her own in sheer power. Luckily for her, the boy was more untrained than a schoolboy in a military uniform, so his attacks were easily read and dodged. However, they were so fast and random she didn't have a single opportunity to retaliate. Her vampire pride was making itself known in the face of the tirade of power Tsukune was emanating, and she decided to end it. Putting a good deal of her own immense youki stores on display, she jumped back into the offensive with a fury, trading blow upon blow with him at speeds so quick all the bystanders could see were white and green flashes that appeared seconds after. This was the true potential of a one on one war between vampires; with all restrictions and limitations cast aside, the ensuing fight was so devastating and quick that a single mistake usually meant a crippling injury, and the surrounding environment was almost always destroyed. Already, the ground was crumbling from the raw amounts of unfocused energy escaping the struggling pair. Inner Moka was genuinely pleased to see that Tsukune almost rivaled her in power level, but sadly, she had to end this before it got out of hand. To do that, though, she had to do something only one other person had had the privilege to see beforehand, but that was quite a long time ago, and under very different circumstances. To put Tsukune down, she had to release all of her power and end him.

With a huge geyser of power so blinding that Kurumu and Mizore had to shield their eyes, Inner Moka drowned out Tsukune's aura with her own and landed blow after blow into his torso. To her surprise, though, he wasn't stunned, and kept going. She kept hammering him, though, and finally delivered a devastatingly powerful downward kick strong enough to go through any building you could name into his chest, slamming him back first onto the ground. She stood over him, her breathing slightly irregular, as she forced him to yield. Luckily, he calmed down soon after he saw that no further threat was making itself known. His chest hurt like nothing else, though, and after vanquishing all trace of the power he displayed, he sat up, a hand on the back of his head.

"Jeez, Moka-san, you sure are strong," he said off-handedly. Inner Moka quickly turned away, lest he see her blush, but quickly told him that they should get him some help for his chest. After all, he had taken two of her kicks directly in the chest, and quite a bit of blood was leaking from his mouth and nose. After their first ever spar, the group called off the session early and headed to the infirmary to get some help for Tsukune's aching ribs. The good thing was his bones had hardened enough to take blows like that and not get crushed, but that didn't mean they still weren't completely and utterly sore and bruised.

Off to the side, a tall man wearing the school uniform with lengthy dark, almost black hair and a wolf's head pendant watched the group head off in the direction of the academy. _So,_ he thought. _Two insanely powerful vampires, right on school campus. I'll have to meet up with them later. That vampire girl though... what a jewel..._

**Author's Notes: **And here's chapter 8. Woo. I still need feedback, though; am I writing up the girl's personalities correctly? I feel like I'm missing something. And how about Tsukune's power level? Is he too strong? Too weak? Neither? I don't know, so please tell me! As always, enjoy yourselves. Addio.


	9. Vampire

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

**Author's Notes: **Yeah... seems like my story's failing as my first attempt at fiction. So, after a few more chapters, monitoring response, I'll either put this one on hiatus and start the new one I've thought up – no spoilers – or continue this one, depending on what you guys want. And maybe I'll return to this if I feel it necessary. Well, here's my latest chapter for your thoughts. Either way, always enjoy the pure happiness that is reading. Sincerely, Vincent.

It turned out that Tsukune's vampiric healing had done a better job than they had originally thought, especially Tsukune, and when the group made it to the infirmary they kicked him out with a complimentary blood bag to accelerate the healing. Even as they went off to their dorms, his chest already felt almost fully recuperated. He was mystified, but gratified, as well. It wasn't every day that what once would have been a month or more in the hospital was just a couple of hours and some food.

The next day, a rested Tsukune (without the damn dreams, for once) and the gang met up before homeroom, starting their little routine squabble before heading to class. It seemed as if everything was going to be as normal as it could possibly get, except for Tsukune's frighteningly drastic change in appearance. All of them thought better of him for it, but it still sent the other freshman on edge, seeing as even though his aura had a mild benevolence to it, he was still an S-class vampire and therefore one not to be trusted. A certain pair of eyes watched him specifically (well, gave him more or less attention than the girls), tracking his path and how he went about his day.

Later, Tsukune and Moka were walking along, sipping tomato juice as they went. The day seemed pretty normal, except for a few challenges by other brave freshman, but all was well. That, of course, changed when a handsome and tall upper classman walked up to them, brandishing a bouquet of flowers.

"Why, hello there, Akashiya-san, Aono-san," he said, flashing his teeth and putting a cool gaze on Moka. "My name is Morioka Ginei, and I am honored to be in your presence. Please, accept these flowers that I hand-picked for you." Moka took them, albeit only out of courtesy, while a small tic mark had appeared on Tsukune's eyebrow. "Would you care to sit with me for lunch today? Say, on the rooftop?" Laying on the charm even more, his eyes almost doubled in size and he couldn't show more teeth if he had a mouth full of them.

"I... I-," Moka stuttered, unsure how to respond.

"No thank you, senpai," Tsukune interrupted, menace barely veiled underneath the polite statement. At his intervention, Ginei's glowing smile chilled and his gaze turned condescending as his eyes went to Tsukune's. "Moka-san already has many friends that are counting on her to keep them company at our table." As an afterthought, he added, "But you may join, if you wish. There is... always room for more."

Caught in a corner, Ginei put his flashy smile on display once again, kindly thanking him and retreating to a nearby bathroom. Moka was stunned (while an irate Inner Moka fumed over Tsukune's assumptions, regardless of how true they were), but Tsukune was still frustrated over the deal. "Tsukune, who was that? I haven't seen him anywhere before," Moka asked.

"I think that was the school's newspaper club president," he replied, albeit with that underlying anger still laced through his voice. Apparently he didn't like random strangers being so brash with his Moka-san. "But I don't like the look of him. Sorry if I was a little rude."

Moka wasn't in the least offended, but they did head to the roof as Ginei had suggested, wanting to see how it was to eat up there. Besides, Mizore and Kurumu were nowhere to be seen. Mizore was understandable, but Kurumu too... something was a little odd. The two didn't care for it at the moment, so they simply ate their meal, staring over the railing at the vast expanse of dead forest. To the left, they could see the odd red sea, going out for kilometers on end. To the right, they could see the tunnel where the bus driver came and went.

"It sure is a beautiful sight, huh?" Tsukune commented absentmindedly. He was staring off at the sea, seemingly entranced by the undulating water. Moka peeked at him through her peripheral vision, wondering what was on his mind. Even now, she was enrapt by the way the sun shone off his now silver hair, and how it appeared to be flowing aluminum when the breeze took it. He was never this serious, and it cast a mysterious aura on the normally kind and gentle boy. He had gone through so much in so little time, from nearly being killed to becoming a vampire. She wondered about how they themselves were going along, and how both Kurumu and Mizore both vie for his attention every day. It seems that, the more time that passes, the more enrapt the three were with the boy whose name was Tsukune. Even through his ghoulish stage, he had tried his very best to maintain that ironclad calm, and it very rarely showed cracks. But it was showing now, in the (seemingly) absence of everyone else. He was more relaxed around her, as she had noted many times, and it brought his guard down.

When she thought about how much he had went through for the sake of them, she just smiled to herself, amazed that a human could bear so much and remain happy. Their reverie was broken by Tsukune's rumbling stomach, making the moment awkward. Moka just blushed while Tsukune fumbled around. He had stopped eating in his intense thoughts, and physical food was not enough to sustain a vampire. He finally pulled the blood bag out of his blazer pocket, warmed by his own body heat.

"Tsukune-san, do you regret coming here?" came Moka's query out of the blue.

When she saw his jaw stiffen ever so slightly, she instantly, regretted asking. But she did not expect a laugh.

"Well, that's a hard question to answer, Moka-san," he started. "At first, my only thoughts were about getting transfer papers to go to a normal human school. But when I met you," he said, noticing Moka's downcast eyes, "everything became so much better. I could manage classes much better without fear, and I finally felt like I could make it here. After all, if I had made friends with one of them, not all of them could be bad, right?" A melancholic smile had formed on his face. And for the first time, she noticed the planes of his face were also much more defined. But it was not just the transformation that had caused those lines running throughout his not-so-boyish face. "When Saizou first attacked me, I didn't know what to think. Would I die? Barely escape with my life? Or worse, be discovered? I didn't know. But when you ran down that hill to get to my side, I knew, no, _felt _that everything would be all right, and that it wouldn't matter if I wasn't good enough to do anything against even one of the weaker monsters. I have to admit, the other Moka-san scared the living hell out of me at first, but I was dazed, close to passing out, and didn't know who she was. I was a frail human, groping to stay alive, and the thought of real monsters fighting me and for me was worse than going to any sort of prison. But..." Inner Moka had listened to all of this, feeling sympathy at first and then becoming wary, angry even, when he mentioned the fight with Saizou. Moka only kept listening intently. "Now I know that Inner Moka-sama... Outer Moka-san... it makes no difference. When your other self saved me from that beast, I knew that Moka-san was Moka-san, no Inner or Outer. I care for both equally, and I would do anything to protect them."

Inner Moka's eyes went wide with shock, completely taken aback that he would say such a thing. Her eyes softened, not entirely against the idea that this human – no, a _vampire_ – would care for her so deeply as to protect her against all circumstances. Outer Moka just smiled warmly, touched that her best friend would proffer his feelings so openly to her. And still he continued. "But when the ghoul started rearing its ugly head, I didn't know what to do. Its voice was so maddening, so rampant and angry that it took all I had to stop myself from doing something rash. Even Mizore and Kurumu couldn't break the overwhelming static of the ghoul's rants. You three are my only friends in a whole school who would be eager to beat me down just for what I look like and who I am, and I couldn't break the ghoul's hold over me. When that jerk, Moburu, attacked me, I was too angry, too weak, to do anything but take his assault and give in to the ghoul's demands. I probably would have died if I hadn't, anyway – In fact, I think I _did _die, just for a few seconds – so what else did I have to lose? I was beaten, tired, and under constant duress from a monster within my own soul. And when I lost control, when the animal I had become was finally released, I was powerless to stop it. I was bound by restraints of my own machinations. The only thing, I think, that kept it from harming anyone other than Moburu was my ingrained desire to keep you three safe. It would cause me pain of untold measure if I had been the one to harm any of you."

When the last word escaped his mouth, a single tear formed on his cheek, thick, but lone. It swelled, then made a quick track down the rest of his face. Moka hadn't known just how deeply he hated himself for what had happened to him. It probably wasn't even in him to blame her for injecting too much blood into him at once. It just wasn't his nature. She slowly reached over and wiped away the singular tear, surprising him. When he turned his head to look at her for the first time since his spiel, she just smiled a warm smile and silently urged him to go on.

"And when Kurumu used her powers to help me escape from the ghoul's imprisonment, I was so... grateful, that I didn't know how to thank her. I still don't know how to thank her. She was the one who saved me from destroying the whole school, and I am completely in debt to her." Little did he know both the succubus and the snow woman were both watching him from the inner railing, barely poking their heads over the side. They were standing on a platform of ice that Mizore had made. Forming your own steps had its advantages, especially when it came to stalking.

"Now that I'm a vampire, I don't know how to break it to my family – what would they say? I'm a monster out of legend – and I'm one of the most powerful monsters here. What do you do with all that power? What is it for? Does the school really have to be so barbaric as to establish dominance by physical violence? Anyway, that's a lot of I don't knows, and I intend to figure out a good deal of them before the semester ends."

He turned his ruby eyes to her emerald ones, searching them for something. Reprieve? Acceptance? Something else? She didn't know. But he wasn't finished yet. "As to your question, I ultimately don't regret coming here. Not one bit. For if I hadn't, I wouldn't have met you, Moka-san. Or Mizore-san, or Kurumu-san, or any of the weird teachers here, or the headmaster. And for that, Moka-san, I wouldn't trade it for the last bit of humanity in my body."

The finisher left her, and their stalkers, speechless, and ultimately endeared by his heartfelt speech. Moka slowly, even more so than before, wrapped her arms around Tsukune's statuesque form, offering her feelings through the comforting embrace. He stiffened, predictably, becoming totally rigid, but after a moment or two he merely melted into her. Realizing his place, though, he put an arm around her as well, two friends offering their warmth and strength through simple contact. After another moment or two, Moka motioned for Tsukune to remove her rosary, as her Inner self wanted to speak to her. The resulting explosion of supernatural energy accidentally blew Tsukune over, but he was fine. Even sitting down, she was regal and debonair in all aspects, seeming to look down on Tsukune even though he was of the same race as she.

After a second or two of staring into his similar snake-like ruby orbs, her gaze softened more than it ever had before. Tsukune was apprehensive at first, as Inner Moka _never _showed signs of letting her guard down. "Come here, Tsukune," she said softly, that underlay of authority still running lightly through her voice. Hesitant at first, but fearful of retribution, he slowly sidled over to sit right beside her. Before he knew it, a pale and (seemingly) delicate hand came to rest on top of his. A quick jerk of his head brought his eyes to meet hers, an unspoken question ringing in the deep ruby irises, one that she read, and answered, perfectly. She took it further, bringing up her other arm and lifting the first to cautiously (and nervously?) wrap her arms around Tsukune's rigid form. He had no idea what to expect, and being hugged by Inner Moka was _definitely_ not what he had thought would happen. His own arms tentatively placed themselves on her own back, holding her flush against his muscular torso. They could each feel the intensity of their auras, and how they seemed to fit with each other as two pieces of a puzzle would.

"She loves you, you know," came her near-silent remark. She was still unsure of how to go about such an intimate display of comfort. Tsukune stiffened once again. He didn't specifically know who she was talking about, until she clarified; "When she first met you, she was ecstatic to find her first friend that didn't shun her for what she was. She was only a lonely girl looking for someone who could understand her. And when you came along, a weak and bumbling human, who would she find but the one person who would accept her among the first race to ostracize her. For that, Tsukune, I thank you. And now that you're a vampire..." she didn't finish. She simply didn't know how to. To remark on Omote's feelings were child's play; to openly admit her own, regardless of the only recipients being her only friends (yes, she had already noticed them after their youki flared slightly in response to their hug). She wasn't raised to be a normal Japanese girl; she was raised as a regal and powerful vampire, one to be respected above all else, and nothing more. For this Aono boy to disregard all of that and accept her for _her_... well, she didn't know how to handle it. So she left the sentence unfinished, and was content in squeezing him a little tighter. Normally her unthoughtful squeeze could've easily fractured his back, but now that he was a vampire it felt as normal as a girl's hug should be.

"I think I love you too, Moka-san," came an even softer reply. He was initially terrified of what her response would be, and rightly so. She had went rigid as soon as the word "love" had left his mouth. A sharp crack was kept at bay, though, when he continued. "Inner Moka-san, Outer Moka-san, they are both Moka-san to me, and I care for Moka-san so deeply that I wouldn't know what to do if I lost her. Please, you must understand. I care for you so much." He was physically trembling now. "And to think... to think that I could've hurt _any _of you... that I possibly may _still _hurt you... I hate myself for it. For succumbing to that evil... it's almost like having your core values stripped from your psyche and thrown into your face..."

Inner Moka could hear his near silent sobs, wracking his now powerful frame. Her eyes were wide with shock; Tsukune _never _cried. Not even when he had been beaten to a pulp by Moburu, nor nearly eviscerated by the lycan. "Tsukune..."

Mizore and Kurumu had decided to abandon their hiding spot, quickly making their way over to the crying Tsukune and the dumbstruck Inner Moka. The wild youki fluctuations going on around Tsukune were plenty indication of how he was feeling. The two silently offered their own warmth, equally embracing the other two within caring arms, forming a group hug that was comforting and relaxing at the same time. Tsukune felt at peace, even though he was breaking down. His family were here. Moka, his love, Mizore, his ever-supportive stoic stalker, and Kurumu, the most emotionally sensitive of the four. These were what made up their camaraderie, and it would not break for anything, be it monster, enemy, or whatever else dare encounter the friends whose bonds were forged through trial upon trial. And it had only been a few weeks.

X-X

Honestly, he felt like shit.

Moburu Kobayashi lay on a hospital bed, intravenous tubes running amok through his systems. What looked like morphine and some sort of medicine were being pumped into him through many of the various tubes all over his body. After his hefty defeat at the hands of Ghoul Tsukune, he had been unceremoniously dropped off in the school's infirmary, humiliated and broken. His back wound could still be felt considerably even through what must have been liters of morphine. The boy had done considerable damage to one of the best fighters of his family, even though he didn't unleash his true form. A feat not to be taken lightly, especially if all his attacks were brushed aside like feathers caressing his opponent's skin.

Still, he had to get out of here. Nothing could be accomplished lying in a bed. So, that left little choice but to heal himself the old fashioned way. Pooling a ball of his own demonic energy onto his chest, he gathered a significant amount until he deemed it enough and dispersed it through his chest. The demon energy carried a healing element to it, and any of his cells charged with it would regenerate nearly as fast a vampire's. Within an hour, he was fully recuperated, but tired, so he lay there, waiting until he was at full strength to tackle the problems mounted against him. He truly hadn't expected an alternate form to fight him, especially one with such power. Either way, he would wait, watch, and study his adversary until he was _sure _he could eliminate the boy with little trouble. Sure, the first attempt had been a reckless blowout, one of the most unprofessional works he had ever done. Seriously, who called running into the group, arms blazing, stealth? He had underestimated his opponent, plain and simple. Well, no more. He would do this the correct way, and Tsukune Aono would face his wrath, or he would die trying.

X-X

_Aono Tsukune, the headmaster would like to see you in his office immediately at your convenience, _the kanji read. Another request from Mikogami, it seemed. It was to be expected, after waltzing around as a vampire for the past half month or so. Tsukune and the gang had continued their school year as normal, going through fights at least every three days because of Tsukune's unrestrained power and trying to earn decent marks in all of their classes. Surprisingly, Tsukune had gotten much better at the subjects, and had co-taught the other two with Moka to help them in their cause. Over all, their entire group had prospered from coming to terms with their circumstances, and the general student populace around them knew it. Whenever they passed the four, it always seemed as if they were sending out a message that said, "If you mess with one of us, prepare to bring down hell upon yourself." Within the first half of the semester alone they had already made waves within the school, garnering attention from the staff (and the Student Police Committee, among others) and Mikogami himself. Two more weeks of rigorous training had left Tsukune, as well as Mizore and Kurumu, trained and ready to handle anything. The latter two, seeing Moka and Tsukune already making an excellent pair going at each other, decided to pair up, wanting to test how they could combine their strengths. When they brought the matter to Tsukune a week in, he eagerly accepted the idea and helped them practice various techniques to further their prowess. Within the last few days, they had grown remarkably closer to each other and have gone to calling themselves "The Black and White Duet," because of Mizore's white ice and Kurumu's black magics. Tsukune himself had advanced quickly, honing his already fine tuned battle instincts, as well as sharpening his reaction time. Once, he and Inner Moka had had a test of pure, raw power; they had decided to fully channel their power into their aura, trying to get them to see just how high their threshold was. Only a minute in, all movement had stopped as the two stood across from each other with two meters in between, their auras roaring around them. Agreeing on a gradual start, they had started off slow, then built with energy as each second passed. Tsukune admirably kept pace, dwarfing both Mizore's and Kurumu's in the two S-class cyclones of power. When they had reached the point where their ambient energy had started crumbling the ground around their feet and huge gusts of wind shook the far off trees, Tsukune's progress slowed, then halted. Inner Moka's kept on climbing steadily. It seemed as if there were no end to her power. After a minute, though, she had made her point and began the process of returning to normal. After all, maintaining that level of youki output was exceptionally draining, even for a vampire. Tsukune was left panting, while Inner Moka only had a sheen of sweat to account for her efforts. Seeing this, Tsukune vowed to get strong enough to match her someday, whatever the cost.

And not only has his overall combat skills improved; Inner Moka's Training of Doom (as the poor boy had come to call it) had enhanced his youki channeling ability, as well as sharpened his eyesight and hearing, taking full advantage of his readily available raw potential. Inner Moka deemed him to be powerful, certainly above most of the vampire clans' members, but not nearly enough to stand a chance against the lesser lords and the ruling family, the Shuzens. Of course, they were all still a bit unrefined, but with summer break fast approaching, they were sure to make enviable progress in the coming months. Inner Moka didn't tell Tsukune this, but she had noticed when she had driven him to his limit sometimes, she could see a nearly invisible taint of black on the edge of his ambient aura, reminiscent of the ghoul. It worried her, but he had shown no signs of its influence, and trusted him and Kurumu to have destroyed it for good.

Moburu had long since healed, and truly went the undercover route, posing as a student to keep an eye on the ever-changing boy. He had been able to transfer into at least two of his classes, much to the gang's distress, but he tried nothing else. They attributed it to his hefty defeat at the hands of Tsukune.

Ginei had come to pester Moka just about every day now, telling her that she ought to spend her time with people who were not so flashy and debonair as Tsukune was. Predictably, Moka was put off, while Tsukune simply butted him out of the way in as tact a move as possible. He was becoming quite a nuisance to the both of them, and Tsukune seemed to be having the limits of his kind nature tested again and again.

Kurumu, of course, knew about this, and was none too happy about it.

"Just who the hell does this guy think he is?!" she snapped. "Coming on to Moka like that! Sure, he's got some good looks... but he's more lecherous than an old coot ambling the streets!" Her eyes had narrowed, a now familiar look of seriousness plastered onto her pretty face.

"It's okay, honestly!" Moka said, waving her hands and trying to calm her down. "Tsukune-san here keeps him away! Isn't that right, Tsukune-san?"

The boy had predictably rubbed the back of his head, unsure of how to respond. Mizore chose that moment to speak, saying how she always seems to notice him walking around with a camera near the girls' dorms. Everyone sweat dropped, still unused to Mizore's bluntness. Tsukune just smiled, and continued on as normal.

That was a couple of days ago, though, and this letter was here, now, and demanding his presence. Truthfully, Headmaster Mikogami scared the living hell out of him, but a summons was not to be ignored. So, in between classes, he left to go to the office. And, of course, it was a creepy as it was the first time, especially the headmaster just... sitting there, peering at him from under his priestly hood with those glowing eyes. A vampire he may be, but he was not immune to the odd man.

"**Why hello again, Aono-kun. Having fun, are we?" **Mikogami stated calmly, that ever present smile that said I know more than you ever will and I enjoy it immensely on his face.

"Y-yes sir. I have made quite a few friends here, and I quite like it."

"**That's good to hear, son. But the problem is, you can't just go prancing around campus unsealed. Do you know how much more work you gave the nurses these past few weeks?" **Tsukune bowed his head guiltily. He had honestly lost track of all the thick headed freshman who had challenged him, the unsealed vampire, for the last two weeks and efficiently sent them to the infirmary, but with no broken bones. It wasn't his fault, anyway! They were the ones who challenged _him!_

Mikogami read his silent expression like a picture book and went on. **"In any case, it is against the school rules to remain in your true form, and thus I have crafted you a sealing component, seeing as you lack the resources required to acquire or make one yourself." **Reaching under his desk, he brought up a bracer that looked to be straight out of the Italian Renaissance. But when he turned it over to reveal the small, silver holy cross with an obsidian gem embedded in the underside, it all made sense to him. It was a fashionable alternative to Moka's own rosary, but still served the same purpose. The only problem was, the three medium sized leather clasps on the side weren't exactly easy to remove in a hurry, until the Exorcist explained; **"Don't worry about physically removing it; I knew a bracer could be... cumbersome to remove, so I enchanted the inner side of the leather to read your youki flow and react accordingly. If you draw too much, your true form will reveal itself, as the enchantment will let the energy bypass the seal. But if you draw too much too quickly... the bracer itself will act as a dam to restrict the overflow so the cross won't break. A handsome work of craftsmanship, if I say so myself. Here, try it on." **He offered the bracer to Tsukune, careful not to touch the inside, and encouraged him to put it on. Tsukune pulled back his sleeve and laid the side of his arm on the inner portion. As soon as his skin made contact, the rosary started glowing slightly while his skin started to heat up. **"I didn't touch the inside because it will automatically calibrate to your unique youki signature as soon as it comes into contact with it. Also clever, if I do say so myself. Which I do." **He was being an egotistical bastard today, but Tsukune just brushed it off. One clasp, nothing. Two clasps, and he definitely felt _something _going on. Three clasps... a wrenching feeling wreaked havoc on his gut, as it seemed the warmth from his very veins drained into the powerful limiter on his arm. The skin around the bracer started bleeding a healthy tan, and the horrible feeling in his gut worsened. He fell to his knees, unused to the feeling of being held back. Bit by bit, his entire body bled into the normal tan it was before, as his eyes reverted to their normal chocolate brown and his hair returned to the less uniform brown it was when he first arrived at the school. When he was offered a mirror, he was stunned to see the original meek boy staring at him from the glass. Well, not too meek. His physique was much less defined, but he was no weakling any longer. He guessed at his current level of strength, he could put up a fight, but wouldn't be able to do much damage to more serious adversaries.

"**I would be careful with that, if I were you," **the Exorcist remarked. **"That wasn't cheap to make, and I will not provide you another should it break. If you need to unleash your inner demon, please try and remove it first. This isn't my first attempt, but it's definitely not the most refined. You are dismissed." **He started chuckling a little, still proud of his handiwork, as he waved a hand in a "shoo" gesture, those creepy glowing eyes seeming to bore into his back all the way. **"Oh, and Tsukune-kun?" **He turned, wary of what the creepy man might say next. **"That wasn't free. You owe me a favor."**

X-X

Of course, the girls were all extremely surprised to see Tsukune as he had been when they first met him walking down the aisle of desks as he returned to math class. Thankfully, no one tracked him with their curious eyes when he entered as they had before when he was unsealed. He was glad that he wasn't paid any undue attention. Maybe he could go a week without getting into a dozen fights because of a few knuckleheads wanting to prove their might. The girls, Kurumu especially, starting whispering excitedly, curious as to how he had reverted to normal. Explanations were in order, and he would give them a good one when lunch came around.

The rest of the class and the next one passed in relative unease, as they were all eager to be let in on the phenomenon and Tsukune was eager to show them his new piece of apparel. But Gin, who was in their last class before lunch, got to him first. "Hey, Tsukune, what's with the new look? Got bored of the attention you were getting?" He was standing next to Tsukune's desk, having appeared next to him before he could avert the nasty situation. You could say Gin was a little jealous, seeing as a good deal of girls that the sophomore regularly spied on had fawned over the unsealed vampire. "Either way, you should stop by the back of the boys' dorms tonight. I have something important I need to show you." And with that, he left, presumably to go to the bathroom. Before he could think about what Ginei had just said, the bell rang, signaling that lunch had started. Confused, he and the girls just headed to the cafeteria as if nothing had happened. After all, there were more important matters to attend to.

"So what's the deal, huh? You're all... human looking, again!" Kurumu gushed as she commented on Tsukune's reverted appearance.

"Well, you see... when the headmaster called me down, he gave me this bracer..." he slides up his sleeve to show off the new item, "that seals my powers. Kind of like Moka-san's, here, but I can release my true self at will. All I have to do is call upon my energy in a controlled manner and I will be released. Want to see after school?"

Moka was regretful that he had to be sealed, but she knew it was for the best. In contrast, however, Mizore and Kurumu (although liking the look of the brown leather bracer) hated it. He honestly looked much sexier to them in his full vampiric glory.

"I'd love to see how it works, Tsukune-kun," Mizore said, her always soft voice making itself known. Moka voiced her desire to see it in action as well, and Kurumu just wanted to tag along to enjoy the ride. She personally didn't care for the thing if it meant Tsukune couldn't be a vampire all the time, but when he explained that he had to wear it or basically be expelled, her rebuttals were cut short.

In the last class, Moburu was curious as to how Tsukune had taken the appearance of a human form, but let it go. He couldn't do anything about it at the moment. He'd follow him after school.

X-X

After an hour of messing with flutes for no foreseeable reason, the final bell eventually rang, dismissing students for the day. The gang walked out the front gate, talking amicably and commenting on the various events of the day. They waited patiently for him to show them how his bracer works, but he seemed hesitant to start. Eventually, he stopped, with the girls gathering round.

"You guys might want to back up for this," he warned. "I don't exactly know how this works. Luckily my training with Inner Moka has helped me with youki channeling. Okay, here goes..." He held his arm up, revealing the brown bracer, the silver cross facing him. He stood erect, other arm to the side and feet spaced, rigid as he searched for the demonic energy within himself. He felt it, deep within his core – it seemed to originate from his heart, oddly enough. Reaching down to expand that feeling of energy, he forced it to bend to his will, bringing forth an inkling of energy. It wasn't enough to bypass the seal yet, so he kept going. The more he drew, the hotter the cross got, and he was panting now. _Almost there..._

It appeared as if he couldn't draw any more from within himself lest he tire himself out when he felt a give in the seal. It felt like the chains of a large and intricate lock were unraveling around his body, with the thickest of the coils resting on his arm where the bracer was. To an amazed Moka, Mizore, and Kurumu, a whirlwind was slowly taking form around Tsukune's feet. They could see the faint twinges of youki appearing around him, reminiscent of his true vampire aura. And then the whole thing yielded with sudden force; the dam had been opened in Tsukune's core, and the energy flowed freely. It seemed that the enchantment on the bracer had a limit he would have to draw to breach it, but when he did, it formed a layer of energy between himself and the actual limiter using the youki he had brought forth. Clever bastard.

The resulting explosion of Tsukune's true aura was similar to Inner Moka's, but nowhere near as grand. Chocolate eyes twisted into red and slitted reptilian orbs, and brown, unkempt hair flowed with new energy as it bled a gleaming silver. His skin pallor drained into itself, leaving his skin looking like ivory.

"Well great, the Exorcist forgot to tell me how to reseal myself," Tsukune sighed after a moment of reveling in his unrestrained energy. It felt like the rush you got from drinking a half gallon of soda, but felt pure and never went away. But it was all for naught if he couldn't reverse the process and appear human. He didn't particularly feel like figuring out how right away, anyway, so he bid his friends goodbye and left for the boys' dorms, wary of what Ginei had wanted to show him. His instincts were telling him it could be nothing good.

He made it behind the dorms, but the upper classman was nowhere to be found. A sigh escaping him, he sat on a nearby dead tree stump and decided to wait for him. He didn't know it would be hours before Morioka finally showed up. By that time, the bright red moon had nearly fully risen in the sky, providing plenty of light to see by.

"Well well. I honestly didn't expect you to wait for me. How kind. Then again, everyone knows that's your thing." Ginei Morioka appeared from behind the vampire, a smirk playing across his face.

"What took you so long?!" Tsukune snapped. He was all right with waiting a bit, but hours?! It was freaking ridiculous!

"Oh, I had business to take care of. It's of no importance to you, though. Ever since you started flashing your youki like it was nothing, my girls have been drooling over you like a piece of meat. It is _completely _unacceptable! And for that, you must pay..."

Bells were going off in Tsukune's head by this point. True to form, the sophomore had hunched over, fur starting to sprout from his back. Within seconds, he had transformed into a towering wolf with a hairstyle similar to his human form's gelled do. But this was no lycan. This guy was shorter, but his skin was pale, nowhere near the dark skin of the other wolf demon he had fought. He also seemed to glow in the pale moonlight. That could only mean one thing; this was a true werewolf, an S-class monster every bit as powerful as a vampire.

**A/N: **Oh, and two words hinting at next chapter; **Majin Form.** Food for thought. Either way, I hope you enjoyed my story so far. PM me if you have any questions as to where I'm taking this or why I wrote something a certain way. Addio, my friends. Vincent.


	10. True Devil

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

The red moon was full and high in the night sky, illuminating the grounds and buildings in an eerie light. Only a scant few clouds roamed the sky like lone schooners trying to find their way in the heart of a silent storm. Tsukune Aono was a vampire, those who reveled in the sweet embrace of that darkness. And he would have truly enjoyed roaming the night like a wraith, if he had been alone. But he was not, and he wasn't the only monster to thrive in such blackness.

Ginei Morioka, who Tsukune now knew was a werewolf, the most dangerous lupine monster ever to walk the land, stood facing him, his back to the treeline. Tsukune had taken the dorm wall as his own cover. The hulking beast, oddly enough, was still able to form coherent words through the mouthful of fangs glinting in the moonlight.

"Didn't expect a werewolf, did you, boy?" he taunted. "Here, in the full moon, there's nothing you can do to stop me! Werewolves are in their prime when in moonlight!"

Tsukune just narrowed his eyes, wary of the jabbering wolf. He had no time for games. He was tired, had to take care of this seal, and wanted to get ready for that test in Trigonometry tomorrow. That, and this guy was practically asking for it. All he had done was carry on as he had since the first day he arrived, talking with his friends and having fun. Then this toothy fellow had just swept in, trying to steal Moka-san away from him for the past two weeks, and frankly, that didn't sit well with him. Normally he may have been able to handle it, but something deep inside him honestly did not approve of another male attempting to take his first friend away. Maybe it was his vampire blood, the inherent pride finally making itself known. Or maybe Tsukune was tired of being pushed around, and had the means to get some payback after the weeks of training with Inner Moka. Either way, he wasn't about to let some furry upper classman beat him down, regardless of what he claimed.

Gin let out a menacing howl, long and loud. The sound reverberated through the trees, making an echo that could be heard as far as the tunnel entrance. He started circling Tsukune, like a wolf does his prey, never letting him out of sight. Before he could even blink, the werewolf had darted forward in near teleportation, putting a gash in his side without the slightest trace of movement. Tsukune turned on his heel, expecting the beast to be behind him.

"What are you looking over there, for? I'm over here!" Morioka gloated, standing exactly where he was not two seconds ago. _Damn, but he's fast, _Tsukune thought. If he wasn't able to protect himself in the face of that kind of speed, he might as well try and return the blows, with interest. But when he had darted forward, using his own generous youki to enhance his speed, the werewolf had disappeared, only for him to be seen sitting up on the nearest branch.

"Is that the best you got? So much for a powerful vampire." Tsukune was starting to panic, but he knew hysteria was dangerous in combat, and pushed it down as best as he could. He would have to try a different tactic if he were to beat this mangy mutt. So he stood stock still, legs slightly apart and fists held to his sides. He allowed his tense shoulders to relax and his breathing to slow. Calm now, he spread out his extrasensory ability as far as he could, like Inner Moka had taught him. _There._ The blip of light on his third eye's radar was huge, a testament to how powerful the other man was. But Tsukune didn't let that faze him. A tic mark had appeared above Gin's eyebrow, angered that he was to be ignored like an innocent little puppy. He would have to stop playing around and show this guy what happened when he crossed a werewolf.

Speeding off the branch faster than even a supernatural eye could see, the furry monster rounded the boy in a circle and struck in from the side, attempting to deliver a painful tackle that would knock him into the trees. But what he didn't expect was the Aono kid ducking to the ground, sticking his foot out in perfect timing to the wolf's charge, knocking the breath out of him. He remained on Tsukune's foot for a few seconds before the vampire gathered an immense amount of energy in his foot and arms before swinging the wolf in a circle, letting him fly off with dangerous force. The resulting crash brought Gin through one tree, then two, then four, then six in rapid succession. The broken trees tumbled to the ground, leaving one stunned wolf laying at the base of the dented oak. If this tree wasn't healthier than the others, he probably would've went through it, too.

_Note to self, don't let Aono touch you, _he thought to himself. He had gotten too confident, and the result had ended in a generous amount of pain. Vampires weren't revered as one of the most powerful youkai for mere looks alone. Just one of their blows was usually enough to incapacitate any lesser monster. Luckily, being an S-class beast himself, Gin was able to shake it off with a little effort. Getting up, he narrowed his eyes and started his circling dash, looking for a weak spot in Aono's defense. He didn't appear to have his left shoulder guarded, so he lunged in with a claw strike to test his reaction. Lo and behold, Tsukune had executed an even rounder lunge with a backhand punch headed right for his face. The move would have dodged his claw and landed him a broken jaw if it had landed, but Gin was watching him and was able to evade before the devastating punch could land. And so it went, with Gin using his ridiculous speed to test any weak spots in Tsukune's circle. But everywhere he tried, he couldn't get a single blow in without fear of taking another heavy hitter in return. He backed up a good ten meters to watch him from a distance. To his surprise, Tsukune's head (which was inclined slightly before) went up, as if a question had taken form in his mind. Curious, Gin circled around as discreetly as he could, and swept in with another claw strike aimed from below.

Satisfaction and understanding coursed through him as another deep cut appeared on Tsukune's hamstring, rendering the leg weak for a couple seconds. It appears that Aono could sense where he was, within a certain distance (of about fifteen meters, if his math was correct). The only thing allowing Gin to get past such impenetrable defense was his incredible speed. If he wasn't able to move twice as fast as a cheetah, he wouldn't be able to get in and strike before Aono could detect his location and react accordingly. If he kept silent and stayed out of his range before moving in to attack, he could cut the boy down without fear of repercussions.

Tsukune noticed this, too, when the second strike, now on his lower abdomen, sent fresh blood dribbling down his pants. His vampiric healing ensured that the strikes weren't a nuisance for more than a few seconds, but with how fast the wolf was moving, he wouldn't last very long if he lost too much blood. Already, the stomach strike had started to close, and his leg felt fine. However, if he couldn't land any blows of his own, he would be dead meat within five minutes.

Thinking on his feet, Tsukune flowed youki into his legs and jumped to the nearest tree branch. On the ground, Ginei was untouchable. But up here, it would be much harder to dodge and move on the spot with little to no ground. Gin saw what he was trying to do, though, and simply cut the branches where Tsukune hid down.

"You can't hide from me here, Aono! Face your death at my hands like a man!"

Suddenly, three ice spikes shot out from behind Gin, one landing in his arm and the rest flying astray. They weren't large, so the pain wasn't major, but it was a nuisance all the same. Turning around in frustration at the interruption, he was surprised to see the shy one, (what was her name? Mizore? Yeah, that's right) standing behind him with her arm raised. So she was the one who shot those ice spikes.

"Mizore!" Tsukune shouted in surprise. While he was overjoyed and happy that she had arrived to help him, she simply wasn't strong enough alone to defend herself from the likes of a werewolf.

"Mizore, this guy's a werewolf! You have to get out of here!" he yelled. If she were hurt because of his fights...

"Oh, Tsukune-kun, shouldn't you know by now that we're here to help each other? That's what friends do, right?" Mizore's near expressionless face had a trace of a smile playing at the edges of her lips. And to both of the guys' surprise, Kurumu flew down from above, her claws extended.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing, mutt? No one hurts my Tsukune without answering to me!" She may not be the brightest bulb in the box, but when it came to her closest friends she'd be the first to be by your side. With the Black and White Duet officially here, and Tsukune still relatively fresh, Gin was having second thoughts. Looking to Tsukune, they nodded to him, telling him that they were watching and were willing to help. Tsukune guessed Mizore had kept an eye on him and brought along Kurumu to help him. A surge of pride swelled within his chest when he thought of it.

The yuki-onna and succubus were powerful indeed, but no match for Gin. But together with a reasonably strong vampire behind him as well, it was a little much. However, his monster pride didn't allow him to back down without a fight. "Is that how you want it? Then face my fury!"

With that, he sped directly toward the duo with blazing speed. Seeing as it was their first werewolf encounter, they were surprised at how fast he could get. Luckily, Mizore's training kicked in, and she instinctively coated the entire area in front of her in ice. Gin wasn't used to ice, and he predictably slipped, falling on his rump. A different tactic, then. But before he could do anything else, the duo had moved into formation.

"Black and White Duet, Number 6!" They shouted in unison, clasping hands. Taking flight, Kurumu sped forward with Mizore gliding underneath in her hands. Her own ice claws had extended, making the flying duo appear like a yin-yang, before they seemed to crash into Gin. What really happened was Kurumu had reversed her motion at the last second and twirling in one fluid transition, while spinning Mizore around in a whirlwind of ice claws. The spinning eviscerator was plenty enough to stun Gin, especially after the finisher with a huge ice kunai, at least twice as big as her normal ones, being thrust into his face between his eyes. Knocked back, Gin had quite a number of cuts to show for the Duet's first coordinated move.

He was not done yet, though. Tsukune had the perfect opportunity with Gin literally right in front of him and still recovering from his friends' joint attack. It was impressive, considering they had quite a number of moves they had been practicing, and they had gotten this one right the first time. It was a testament to their dedication to protect their own. Tsukune's own finisher was simple, but much more powerful. Spinning on his front toes and bringing a kick from behind, he thrust his own roundhouse kick square into the wolf's back, sending him flying back between the Duet and crash landing into the dorm wall with a satisfying thud. Spread-eagled and stuck into his own crater, Gin seemed to be defeated once and for all. Hopefully he wouldn't mess with them anymore.

That is, if he _was _defeated. Gin pulled himself off the wall, and starting flaring his own youki. This was too much. Now he would have to get serious for the first time since that fight in middle school. A horrifying roar ripped from his throat as his energy whirled around him. He was a werewolf, dammit! None could match his prowess because of his speed!

Much faster even than before, he practically teleported to each of them, delivering blows so quickly none of them could keep up. Without getting time to recuperate, the Duet were ineffective under the barrage of the wolf's claws. Tsukune couldn't do much with Gin interfering and slashing him a new one every time he tried to make his way to the girls.

But something went wrong. To finish them, Gin slashed open their abdomens, and a copious amount of blood spilled out. Thankfully it wasn't deep enough to disembowel them, but that was of no difference to Tsukune. When he saw those cuts open up on his friends' stomachs, their limp bodies unable to handle it and finally passing out onto the ground, something snapped inside him. He stood stock still, a dark bloody red clouding his vision. All he could see was red. Red as the blood of his friends as they lay there on the ground while he stood there, useless once again, taking blow after blow and bleeding all over from the werewolf's claws. Unwittingly, his youki was building in the ambient air, gaining force at a rapid pace. An unnatural wind started blowing his hair to and fro, while the cuts kept coming. Gin noticed the change, and hurried in his attempt to take the vampire down. Their resilience was legendary, but this was ridiculous. Deep within Tsukune's heartstrings, Mizore's and Kurumu's strands throbbed for their pain.

Gin would have kept going, heedless of the terrifying amount of youki that was the cyclone encompassing the Aono boy. But what stopped him was the oddity taking shape around the edges of his aura. It was not the standard purplish red that all demonic youkai carried; it was pitch black, and slowly taking shape on the very edges of the pulsating energy. There was something off about the kid himself, too; electricity was arcing around Tsukune's space. That could only mean one thing. He was giving off absolutely huge amounts of energy. So much so that the excess was enough to create sparks in dry air.

X-X

While Mizore had dragged Kurumu from her comfy bed to help protect Tsukune, they had left Moka in her own room, seeing as they didn't know (and didn't want to know) where her room was. She was sound asleep, but her slumber was fitful. Recurring images of Ghoul Tsukune kept creeping into her otherwise dreamless rest. However, at about 10:13 pm., she was awakened by the sheer amount of youki that was permeating the air. Only a select few monsters could display so much power, especially with the source coming from the other side of the boys' dorms. Immediately, memories of Ginei's request for Tsukune to meet him tonight flew into her head, and she rushed outside in her pajamas to find out just what is going on.

X-X

The energy was so thick Gin couldn't even get close to the boy now. A vampire he may be, but this level of power was unparalleled in a mere academy. And still it grew. The blackness on the edges of his aura had taken a more prominent position, now clearly visible for all to see. That wasn't all; Tsukune's neck had some odd black markings on them, and his eyes had changed somehow. They seemed to be completely red, whites and all, and were focused solely on him. The transition still wasn't done yet, even now. Gin felt that if the boy's power ascended anymore, he would be obliterated when his time came. With one last strike carrying a good deal of his energy, Gin broke through the pure energy barrier and drove a clawed punch straight into that creepy face, sending Aono and his cyclone of power with him. The result appeared similar to a miniature comet bursting through multiple trees, finally resting in a rut on the ground.

Moka had arrived just in time to see the werewolf deliver his final blow to Tsukune, and she gasped in fear at what she saw. Her Tsukune, cut and bleeding on just about every centimeter of his body, and Gin sending him flying further into the forest. But not even those could match the pure terror the other sight had given her; the pitch black surrounding his normal red aura, so reminiscent of the ghoul's, had appeared once again. Even his appearance had started to revert to the ghoul's form; eyes completely red and devoid of any concept of mercy, black tattoos wrapping around his neck in a lover's embrace, and the inherent evil emanating from the form as it flew backwards. Inner Moka simply resigned herself to the fate that had befallen her. She would have to destroy him if he completed the transformation.

Gin followed the trail, curious as to whether or not the vampire was down yet. But when he made it to the place where Aono should've landed, he was nowhere to be found. Where was he? Could he have gotten up and run away that quickly? No, that simply wasn't possible. He would've caught up to him before he could've got back up. And he definitely didn't come back this way; he would've seen him. So where was he?

He stopped, alarm bells ringing in his head. There was something completely off with the whole situation. He felt, more than sensed, the evil demonic aura that had suddenly appeared behind him. Somehow he wasn't surprised. But when he turned around, it was not Tsukune Aono who stood there. It was a monster.

Skin completely covered in black all over, making his silver hair stand out in contrast than ever before, and wings black as night, and jointed like a bat's went unfurled behind him told of all the evil he had ever done and would do and then some. Looking into those completely red eyes and finding no sorrow, no remorse, nor even _anger_ (and that was the scary part), Gin felt genuine fear for the first time since he had fought the Student Police Committee last year. This was a demon plucked straight from hell, and he was the one who had unleashed it.

X-X

Tsukune couldn't take it. His loved ones were hurt, and his whole body felt like it was gushing blood like a fountain. His anger, well. It couldn't even be called anger at this point. It was downright rage. Animalistic, pure, and boundless. The fact that Gin was still trying to bring him down didn't make things any better. Why? Why did everyone he met have to attack him, hurt him, break him down? He didn't do anything! He used to be a simple human, nothing more than a boy trying to pass high school so he could make something of himself! And now he's fought countless monsters, one being his own doppelganger, and now he has to fight a werewolf, too!

It was too much. The rage was all encompassing, leaving absolutely no room for argument. Something deep within him shook, awakening to the extreme levels of fury arcing through his blood like electricity. It fed off that anger, grew, and surged forth. Whatever was the cause of this anger would pay. It was dark, it was powerful, and it would not stop.

The back of Tsukune's mind barely noted the fact that his energy levels were soaring higher than he ever managed before, and he was proud of himself, a little. The problem was, he couldn't see through the river of blood that had clouded his vision. All he could see were varying shades of red. Magenta, light, dark, blood, blackish... it made no difference. The only non-red thing was the wolf attempting to attack him in vain. But then he noticed something else was off, too. The small sliver of his mind that wasn't drowning in rage couldn't comprehend it. His skin felt like it was hardening and expanding at the same time, and his eyes felt like needles were being run through them. And then the worst possible thing that could've happened emerged.

That all-consuming evil had returned. The thing was, he could still process that it was there. Did that mean he wasn't totally gone? Could he control this evil? Or was the ghoul still allowing him control over his body for a few precious seconds as if to mock him for his efforts? These questions were brought to a halt when Gin finally broke through his energy barrier and sent him flying backwards into the forest. The funny thing was, he didn't feel a thing, even though he could see the debris caused by his body crashing through object upon object. On the ground now, and still rising in power ever so slowly, he got back up to witness two things. His beloved Moka was standing off to his right, at the treeline, a mask of horror on her face. The other thing was Gin, catching up to him through the trail of destruction. He didn't notice Moka before, but he figured that she had stayed back beforehand. Part of him was relieved that at least she was okay. In any case, that mutt would have to pay for injuring his snow maiden and succubus. He quickly circled around before the wolf could enter the small clearing.

It was too easy. The wolf didn't even notice that he was standing right behind him. He was still putting out huge levels of youki, so he didn't see how he could be so blind. There. The mutt had turned around. To his sick pleasure, fear took place as the dominant feature on the mongrel's muzzle. Oddly enough, even though he yearned for his pain and suffering, Tsukune was still in complete control over his actions. Oh well. That just meant he could enjoy what he was about to do more freely. Slamming a jab into the mutt's face so quick that he didn't even see it himself, he launched the werewolf further into the clearing and followed, finishing with a low uppercut that launched the monster straight up into the air. He followed with his own jump, and kicked the wolf back down to Earth with a revolving slam kick so hard he made a crater at least a meter deep. Apparently, that wasn't enough. The mutt was still getting up. Channeling his youki into a physical manifestation, he thrust himself downwards like a rocket using the energy, a dark falling star headed straight for Gin. Luckily for the wolf, he had recovered fast enough to notice the miniature meteor heading for him and quickly rolled out of the way. He was injured, but had no serious injuries impeding his movement. But that wasn't enough. Even before Tsukune's fist had completely pulled itself out of the ground he was already rushing toward the lupine monster, a sideways kick prepped and ready to fly. He wasn't fast enough to dodge this; the kick bent the wolf around his leg before sending the poor beast flying through multiple trees, much as he had done to Tsukune earlier.

Moka had retreated to Mizore's and Kurumu's side, worrying for their health. Thankfully their advanced healing had already taken a good deal of the blistering pain from their wounds, and they were able to get to their feet. Seeing Moka's nearly crazed eyes, they followed her back to where the two immensely powerful youkai were battling it out.

"The ghoul... it's back..." she told them quietly as they arrived. They witnessed the scary power that was Tsukune handing Gin's furry ass to him on a silver platter. Blow after blow, crater after crater, the battle went on. After an especially powerful double-fisted slam into Gin's head, the wolf finally went down, too weak to get back up. Tsukune stood over him, a triumphant look on his face. He brought up an arm covered in ice to finally finish him once and for all...

"Tsukune! Stop! Don't do this!" Moka yelled at him. The boy stiffened, pausing in his final effort to destroy the defeated werewolf. He seemed... confused. Kurumu and Mizore both ran to him, heedless of their own safety. When he saw that they were all right, and Moka following close behind, he relaxed somewhat. Before they knew it, the huge cyclone of oppressive energy had abated, and Tsukune was reverting to his normal vampiric appearance. He sank to his knees, his pants getting wet from the puddle around his feet. All the life seemed to drain out of him, no longer the all powerful monster he was before. Mizore knelt to hug him, with Kurumu being a close second. He was shivering, and the two's warmth calmed him. It seemed as if everything was going to be okay. Moka, however, stood hesitantly back, unsure of what to make of the event. He had been a ghoul one moment, and was back to normal the other. That just didn't make sense! She could see he was in no condition for questioning though, so she helped the two carry the weakened boy back to his room. The wolf could stay there.

A recurring image kept reappearing in Mizore's mind, though. Right after Moka's plea, she had noticed his arm was covered in ice, much like hers when she was transformed. _How could he use ice as a vampire?_

X-X

After a good night's sleep that lasted well into the late morning, Tsukune finally awoke, eyes closed and starving for blood. What should he discover, then, but the delicious scent of three unique smells promising that very thing? One smelled like lilies, the other like a rose, and the other like sweet honey. He opened his eyes to see the respective girls leaning over him, curious as to how he was feeling. He wasn't used to three beautiful faces right next to his, though, and he quickly scrambled further backwards, hitting his head on the wall and receiving a nasty bump on his skull.

The girls let out a collective sigh. He was fine (mostly. His stomach rumbled obscenely loudly). All he needed was some blood and he'd be good to go. Thankfully Moka had thought of this, and handed him some blood packs to sate his thirst. When he recovered, he tore into them like a wild animal. They waited for him to regain some sense of normalcy before assaulting him with questions.

"Tsukune, what happened out there?"

"Did the ghoul come back?"

"Eat these cookies I baked for you!"

"Are you okay?"

These were important questions, some more pertinent than most, but Mizore didn't ask the one she had burning in her mind. Where had that ice come from? _She _certainly didn't make it. Either way, she'd discuss it with Moka after Tsukune spilled the beans.

A heavy sigh escaped the boy's lips. He was well rested now, most of his cuts completely gone (he was still in vampiric form), but last night's ordeal had been tiring. So he recounted how Gin had lured him behind the boys' dorm building, went on about some nonsense about some girls he had lost to him, and promptly started fighting him. Then he got to the part where Mizore and Kurumu successfully executed their first joint attack, and rained praise on them for getting it right the first try. After their ensuing blush, though, he got to the important part. When he saw the Duet go down, he told them, he had felt a rage like nothing he had ever felt before, and it just kept escalating until he could see only in hues of red and his body felt like it was burning. After that was all done, he felt more powerful than ever, and proceeded to give back the pain the werewolf had caused in spades. He didn't make any mention of a ghoul or losing his mind, but in his head, the thought did cross it a couple times. Vague memories from his true ghoul form had had a similar effect on his body, but the wings felt different and there certainly wasn't any ice on his arm the first time.

_Wait... ice?!_ He remembered now! When he had moved to finish off Gin, he had had _ice _covering his arm! Eyes going wide, he looked straight at Mizore with a powerful look that made her own icy eyes widen in return.

"Mizore! Did you see... ice... on my arm when I was transformed?" A silent nod confirmed his suspicions. Also coming back to him were the soul fragments in the Realm of Wisdom before the ghoul had taken him over. Some of those fragments had had ice claws, much like Mizore's own. And not only were there some like Mizore; others had had incubus wings much like Kurumu's similar succubus wings. A series of conclusions exploded in his head as he took this all in. In his mind, one thing lead to another, with each realization bringing forth the next in rapid succession.

"Guys... I think... when I went into that... that Majin* form... I was able to use ice powers, and... and I had incubus wings, not devil wings! I think... the blood I drank from you two has given me the powers of ice and illusion!"

A collective gasp went through the group. It made sense, in a way. Moka had worried what the side effects of drinking youkai blood might be, but she hadn't expected this. Turning around their own powers was a highly advanced blood magic skill, one that not many would attain. She had to test something, though.

"Tsukune, can you try and replicate what you did earlier? Try to form ice as you did when fighting Gin," she commanded. Concentrating, he brought his bare arm up, trying to imagine the cold coming forth and allowing him to bend the molecules in the air to his will. He felt something, surely... but after five minutes of nothing happening, he gave up.

"I can't do it, Moka-san. It seems I'm only able to use those powers while in that devil form. I could feel something... but I can't use it."

Moka was further taken by surprise. If he were able to use advanced blood magic as that, but not while in his normal vampire state, what did that mean for his abilities? Kurumu was curious as to how the initial transformation had come about. She asked him how he had gotten to that point. And so described how the rage at seeing them hurt had brought forth the changes. This led the four to the conclusion that he could only access that form when his emotions went haywire or he was significantly hurt. Kurumu thought nothing of it, as that meant the ghoul had not returned, but the leftover remnant had given Tsukune a new, and devastating ability. The drawbacks were tremendous, though. He was still pretty weak, and it was already nearly noon. Mizore was just curious, while Moka was glad that he was still safe from losing his sanity.

Gin finally regained consciousness at around 8. He had made the decision _not_ to mess with the Aono boy anymore. Not many youkai could outmatch a werewolf in both speed and strength. He thought they would be nice additions to the Newspaper Club, though. From what he had heard, they were all a nice bunch once you got to know them. Which made his decision to fight the boy make him feel like an ass. Oh well. Still sore from his beating, he picked himself back up and agonizingly made his way back to his own room. He would need a nice relaxing bath after all that.

**Author's Notes: **And there you have it. Tsukune's Majin form. *Majin: Japanese for devil, lord, demon. Don't worry, my friends, he's only able to use it when near death or pushed to his limits. Anyway, what do you think about my latest chapter? Let me know in the reviews.

Also, next chapter is going to have a large focus on one of the girls. Which one should it be? If nobody makes their choice, it will automatically be Moka. PM me to tell me which one you want, please. And I'll do my best to write a good chapter on the selected character. Addio, my friends. Vincent.


	11. Mononoke Arcade Pt 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

**Author's Notes:** Well it seems my story was given to the wrong audience. When I changed it to the M rating (where it belonged), it got so much more positive feedback that I was revitalized enough to continue the story. Looks like it was all a matter of category. So THANK YOU so much for viewing my work and leaving reviews! It gives writers like me new life! Anyways, due to a unanimous decision, Inner Moka will be the focus of this particular chapter. Enjoy!

Tsukune was a little shaken as to what last night had revealed to him. Apparently, he had gained some sort of control over his ghoul-like state and handed Ginei's ass to him. But the trigger to that particular event was disturbing; never before had he felt so furious as when he saw blood spill from his best friends. That wasn't the disturbing part, though. The thing that really scared him was that he had _liked _it. He contemplated this as he sat in his bed, the sheets crumpled in his lap. Just what exactly was happening to him? Moka hadn't told him his very personality would undergo any changes (cough cough, the ghoul especially). He resolved to ask her about it when he met up with her this morning. After all, today was a day off, and he had nothing better to do. What was better than attending an academy full of monsters than spending the day with the one you loved most, who just happened to be the most powerful one as well? Either way, he figured that she only knew as much as he did when it came to this stuff. She was, at the core, a young fifteen year old high school girl herself.

He lay back down, not feeling an immediate urge to get out of bed. His hands cushioning his head, he stared at the ceiling and reminisced about his time here so far. All those fights, meeting Moka, Mizore, and Kurumu, becoming a ghoul, overcoming the beast within, meeting Moka, Mizore and Kurumu...

He stopped, realizing he had went over the girls twice. What exactly did he feel for them? Moka was so sweet, so understanding, that he couldn't possibly imagine a life without her in it. And Mizore... she was always calm, supportive and always sent a chill down your spine (that felt _really _good, sometimes, he noted). She also seemed so fragile he just couldn't picture having any other group to be her friends. Others simply wouldn't understand her. And Kurumu? He sensed she was a good girl at heart, but she could be a little brash sometimes. It only made her more endearing to those who understood why she did what she did.

His musings were interrupted when a soft _clink! _resounded off the window. Who could be throwing stones at his window this early in the morning? He dragged himself out of bed, pulling on some trousers and heading over to the window.

Lo and behold, who should he see but Mizore, a pile of ice pebbles in her arms, standing below his window. His eyes just widened as she blushed cutely. He opened the window to see what she wanted.

"Mizore-san, what are you doing out here so early?"

He winced not a second after as an ice kunai appeared out of nowhere and was sent flying into his window frame. "Tsukune-kun, I want you to call me Mizore-chan from now on, okay?" Not to be the recipient of another ice kunai that certainly wouldn't miss its mark, he quickly nodded his head. She smiled, saying "Could I come up for a bit, Tsukune-kun?"

His nod was much more natural this time, and she blushed again. He wondered why she did that so much... it seemed whenever he talked to her directly, she would always blush at the littlest things. Just another curious quirk, but it was cute.

He hadn't expected a set of icy steps to form out of nowhere leading straight to his window. She just nonchalantly started heading up as he opened the window further to make it easier to get in. The more prowess she showed with her ice, the more he was amazed by her skill. It seemed she could bend ice to do nearly anything she wanted, if she felt like it. He probably hasn't even seen half of the tricks she could do.

She only peeked around with quick glances before standing by the far wall, opposite his bed. She swung her arms and rocked on her heels, uncomfortable with being in the same room as her Tsukune all alone. He closed the window and got some iced tea from his mini-fridge and offered it to her. She smiled again, warmed at his thoughtfulness. Of course, the tea itself wasn't doing so well. It had frozen over, with a thin sheet of ice covering the top. It was resolved when she dispelled the cold so she could at least drink it, but only a little. She had meant to have a talk with him, and playful games couldn't stall anymore.

"Tsukune-kun, do you remember anything... specific, when you were in that... other form?" she asked softly. He almost didn't catch it. His ears tensed, sensing something serious had been broached. He slowly turned his head to meet her beautiful blue eyes with his own crimson orbs. Something about that gaze told her he wasn't very comfortable talking about it. To her surprise, he started talking all of his own before she could take back the question.

"I remember the fight, and I remember Moka-san being there... and I remember you and Kurumu watching as well." Mizore's gaze fell to the floor, but snapped back up when he stood and took her hand. A much heavier blush covered her cheeks from the unexpected contact. His skin was so warm... it felt like she could just melt into him and not worry about a thing.

"Tsukune-kun..."

"And I also remember getting ready to finish Ginei-sempai, but there was ice covering my arm. Is that what you wanted to talk about?"

She nodded, surprised he had caught on so quickly. He was entranced by the way her purple locks swung about with the movement of her head, but quickly stopped that train of thought when she spoke again: "I can control ice, and now you seem to be able to, as well, Tsukune-kun. Could you try to do it again?"

He had almost expected this, or something like it, so he merely backed away a bit and held up his bare arm (the bracer was still present on the other). He concentrated, presumably trying to recreate the vambrace of ice he had created last night. He searched for the cold deep within his soul, but found nothing. He then remembered his little talk with his soul fragment, and started chanting "Paradindaku" monotonously as he searched deeper. The name somehow resonated within his soul strings, and he could feel the stolen deep winter roiling within him. Sending youki to stoke the cold, he swelled the bubble (albeit small, only big enough to be found, nothing more) more, but it still wasn't enough. Then he thought of Mizore, and all the shenanigans they had been through and their time spent together over the past month or so. The wintry globe bulged, becoming large enough to manipulate much like his own youki stores. It was only in one place (his torso, right beneath the sternum. *See Author's Notes below to read more about youki concentrations) but he would have to do with it for now. It was simply too early in the morning. He tried channeling the energy into his arm like he did his normal raw youki, but it didn't work. The ball simply went into an oval shape. His eyebrows knit in frustration even as Mizore witnessed the air around his raised arm growing colder and thickening. But it wasn't enough.

Trying something different, he stretched it and rolled it into liquid tubes, the power not changing but now arranged in rows. When he tried sending those down his arm, they moved, but did not complete their course. A low growl erupted in his throat. What was so damn difficult about this youkai energy? It was monster energy, dammit, not electricity.

Electricity.

That's it! Connections were being made as he realized that elemental energy was not as blunt as pure, raw energy, and he reformed the tubes into micro-thin wires small enough to appear like beams of light blue light, much like Mizore's blue pupils. He then concentrated on sending the beams one at a time through his channel, and was pleased when it finally went through. The cold condensed around his arm, now frosting the skin in the area. It didn't bother Tsukune in the slightest. He remembered that he needed a source to supply the ice, and next focused on bringing in ambient water vapor to aid him, using the wintry energy as a lure. Trying to do both at once sometimes made him lose focus over one or the other, but he finally brought both together after a minute of effort. Clenching his hand in a vice-like grip, the energy warped, cooling the water vapor and bending it to Tsukune's will, which translated to the desired form of an icy vambrace. Satisfaction, curiosity, and amazement were present on both their faces as they witnessed the five centimeter thick gauntlet form around his arm.

He waved it around, testing it. After a questioning glance, one of her own ice claws formed and tentatively scraped against the armor. To his pleasure, and Mizore's satisfaction, the ice held against the claws. "Good job, Tsukune-kun! But you need much more practice."

He only smiled, content enough in knowing he was able to do at least something. Of course, it took him damn near ten minutes while his Majin form was able to do the same in less than ten seconds, but it was a start. In addition to Inner Moka's training, perfecting his slim ice control only seemed to be the icing on the cake. Anything to gain the upper hand on the freaks that lurked the halls. Not that _all _of them were, per say, but there were more than he felt comfortable with.

He thanked her with a caring embrace, eliciting an even deeper blush from her than the first time. He was simply so warm, she wondered how he had formed the ice at all. That, and he wasn't wearing a shirt.

He quickly remembered this and ended the hug, one of his trademark ear-to-ear smiles covering his face. He just didn't know how endearing it was to her, or any of their group, for that matter. Sometimes he could be so charming unwittingly it was scary.

Either way, she just patted him on the back and quickly went over to the window, casting a single eye over her shoulder in goodbye. For now. A single leap out the window (what is it with these people jumping out his window?! He thought) and a short slide down an icy chute, and she was on her way toward wherever it was she was headed to. She also didn't know how many times she amazed the vampire, which made her all the more appealing.

After that peculiar little encounter, he washed himself up (which he regretted not doing so before letting in Mizore, but luckily for him she could care less) and got dressed, a simple t shirt and the same trousers for today. There would be training later, but for now it was just time to relax. Heading out into the monotonous cloud-bare Great Barrier atmosphere, he walked along the path that led to the ocean, enjoying the freedom of the day off. Homework was the last thing on his mind (and he still couldn't figure out how to make the damn bracer reverse his form), and he strolled along, not a care in the world, until he made it to the red ocean. He still didn't know why the water was so red, but it made for a pretty sight above the cliffs. His mood soon turned melancholic as he peered down at the jagged rocks below.

_What if I just let go? What if I abandoned myself to my inner desires and dived off this very cliff? _An eery thought of Mikogami watching from afar in the academy tower as a huge cyclone of energy, much like a vampire's, erupted from below the cliffs in a thunderstorm made him shiver. It was simply too much, he wouldn't do it, and that creepy old man probably wouldn't have done anything if he had.

His musings were cut short when he heard some distant calls that sounded almost like his name. _"Tsukuuuuuuneeeee! Tsukuuuuuuuuuunneeeeeeeee! Where aaaaaare youuuuuu?" _The voice sounded eerily like Moka's, and lo and behold she came trotting out of the forest, her head darting around. When it finally locked onto him standing near the cliffs, she quickly made her way over to him with a shout of his name on her lips.

He was curious as to why she had come looking for him, seeing as it was still moderately early (an hour till noon, to be exact). The training won't start for another few hours or so, meaning she wanted to talk to him, too. It seemed today was Interview Tsukune Day, or something. Still, it was sweet, and a bubble of happiness swelled in his chest.

"Tsukune-san, I was looking all over for you! Why are you out here?" she asked curiously.

He replied with an absent "Nothing much," before returning his gaze to the distant sea. He looked back over his shoulder, asking her with his eyes what she wanted to say.

Her gaze fell to the ground as she poked her index fingers at each other, an instant sign of nervousness Tsukune quickly recognized. "W-well, I was thinking... would you like to go to the Mononoke Arcade with me tomorrow? I have nothing to do, and... and I need to get some things... and I'd like you to come with me!" Nervousness had taken precedence until the very end, where she finished expectant and hopeful, just as she had the first day they had met. The cutest smile he had ever seen was on her face, and he was stunned to silence by the innocent question (and her ever so cute face).

"Of course I'll go with you, Moka-san!" His eyes had closed and his hand had gravitated toward the back of his head, making it seem as if there were absolutely no chance he would have said no. Moka simply beamed, and proceeded to latch onto Tsukune's neck with the now familiar shout of "Capuchuuu..."

A few minutes had gone by as they stood side by side, staring out at the ocean. It really was a moderately good day. After all, free days were to be cherished, especially when you didn't know whether or not you'd be in a fight within ten minutes of walking onto school grounds. Soon, though, their silent commune was interrupted by the insistent rumbling of both of their stomachs, eliciting similar blushes.

"I guess it's time to get some lunch, huh?" Tsukune asked. Moka just grabbed his hand to hurry back to the school cafeteria to get something to eat. A large rice bowl sounded pretty good at the moment. It was pleasing to see Kurumu and Mizore talking just outside the gates to the academy; they seemed to be getting along quite well. Never mind... an ice dagger materialized in Kurumu's face. Seems like she was going on about something sensitive.

Either way, The group met up and got some lunch before doing some studying and homework and such. Moka always seemed to know the answer, while the rest seemed helplessly clueless. Their marks had noticeably improved, though, so _something _must be working. Of course, only an hour in, Kurumu was frustrated (more like throwing a temper tantrum, complete with tossing books to and fro and yelling at a bemused Mizore while Tsukune and Moka looked on sympathetically), so they decided to quit with the boring stuff and continue on with the more physical aspect of their training. Honing their minds was important, but physical combat just seemed to come more naturally to them. Perhaps it was the monster blood roaring through their veins that demanded such violence.

Starting early, the four quickly began their work after entering the clearing, setting up wooden dummies (courtesy of Mizore's ice claws) and targets. Casual wear and pants/skirts had been exchanged for light t shirts and fitness shorts. True forms revealed (Tsukune was still in monster form – damn seal), the overpowering youki flowed over the field, signaling the beginning of the training session. Soon after the release, Inner Moka and Tsukune quickly starting exchanging blows, their movements so quick none could see exactly what they were doing. Mizore and Kurumu followed suit, if nothing more than to warm up. Coordination was best brought forth when one intimately knew one's strengths and weaknesses.

Inner Moka could see Tsukune was improving greatly, as shown in his grace and fluidity in blocking and returning strikes. He was almost holding his own. A small smile played across her face at the integrity he was showing to his vampiric nature. She glanced over at the Duet, curious as to how they were going. One would be surprised that they had both neither gained nor lost ground in the exchange. Both knew each other almost as well as they knew themselves (at least in combat, that is), and were steadily dodging claws or sweeping under slashes. Minutes went by, both groups with no change. The Duet eventually stopped, satisfied with their position. They would work more on their joint attacks.

Inner Moka was not amused anymore. Tsukune was fighting back ferociously, trading blow for blow with his beloved Moka. Neither could gain the upper hand. He was progressing admirably, now fully able to withstand the assault of a full-fledged super vampire. It seems his blood was stronger than she had feared. Soon he would equal her usual restrained might, and this was unacceptable. It was also extremely attractive, but she was as of yet unused to having someone match her prowess. It was time to kick it up a notch for the umpteenth time.

Tsukune had expected this. It always came down to when she would get fed up with his power and release all restraint, not stopping until he was on the ground and defeated. He stepped up his game, trying to match her ever-increasing power, but he was flagging within seconds. She was simply too powerful. One particularly painful kick brought his knee down, and she indulged the opening, sending a powerful knee of her own right into his lowered face. A full flip sent him face first into the dirt, skidding backwards a good three meters. She stopped, anticipating his reaction.

But what she didn't expect was the huge increase in power level.

Again, his usual purplish red aura began flickering at the edges, pitch black tainting the fringe. The cyclone widened, gaining girth as he fought to his knees. One on the ground and a hand supporting the other side, he stumbled to his feet, the familiar black shroud enveloping his skin. His completely red eyes flashed, signaling the dark power had returned. Inner Moka grew serious, wary to the immense energy he was emanating. This was the monster that had bested a werewolf. And she was going to experience its power firsthand.

X-X

Tsukune hated getting his ass handed to him. Why wasn't he ever good enough? Even now, as he sparred with the jaded vampiress who was Inner Moka, he could tell she wasn't putting in her all, making his efforts seem childish and futile. His brow narrowed infinitesimally. He could detect the exact moment when she was done with the games and decided to end it. Her true power flashed for a few seconds before sending him to his knees and subsequently backwards into the field. That did it; he had _had _it. He had had enough of getting his ass kicked by a woman who only deemed him worthy enough to talk to her without fear of repercussion and little else. It was like she was of her own dimension, following the orders of no one. Well, no longer. Lying in the dirt, anger festering, a dark and powerful energy had welled up inside him in response to his growing anger. He could feel it now. It was indeed a remnant of the ghoul, but it was pure power, nothing more. It, of course, came with its own needs (mainly the desire to destroy all in its path, but it was deadened to the point where it just brought out more anger than normal), but he could handle it. He regained his feet and faced his beloved Moka head on. No longer would she treat him like a lesser being. He was a _vampire, _dammit, and she would recognize it whether she liked it or not.

A final surge of his power and he sent himself hurtling toward the vampiress at breakneck speed. A powerful punch was sent flying toward her face so fast not even he himself saw it go there, yet she caught it square in her hand nevertheless. Albeit with a great effort. The ground ruptured beneath her feet, unable to withstand the power struggle between the super vampires. For the first time her block was strained; her arm shook from the effort of holding back his strike.

"**Give it your best shot, Tsukune," **she said evenly before pushing him away. **"Show me your true power."** This only enraged him further, and he flew back at her in a fury, determined to make her pay in some shape or form. And yet, she continued to dodge or otherwise evade his attempts to hurt her. The fight only dragged on, but this time it was much more even. Her blows were brushed aside before a counter attack came hurtling toward her face, while she simply dodged and followed through with another kick. Her eyebrows lifted when a peculiarly powerful jab broke through her defenses and struck her kidney, stunning her for a mere second. A second was all he needed, though, and he sent a powerful kick with all the strength of his body into her abdomen, sending her flying backwards faster than a freight train.

She merely got back up in a few seconds, though. Powerful he may be, but a hit like that wouldn't stop a vampire for long.

"**That's enough, Tsukune." **A smile took place on her face, though, as it softened: **"Your training is progressing admirably. We shall stop for today." **

He stiffened and stood erect, not understanding he had won, in a sense (it was technically a draw, but still). Bit by bit the blackness around his aura (which, to their collective relief, was not fully black) and on his skin receded, and he stood in his normal vampire form confused and tired. Mizore and Kurumu had noticed he had gone over the deep end again, but thought nothing of it when they continued to fight as normal. But now that it was over, they were curious, and headed to the vampires as they met at the center of the field.

"**What is it that drives that blackness into your soul, Tsukune?" **she asked as they met. _It seems he is gaining some bit of control over it. I will have to test this later._

"Tsukune-san, how do you do that?" Kurumu spouted first, genuinely curious as to why evil itself tainted his aura and lent him strength.

"I... I don't know, really," he replied. "I just... let go whenever I get too angry."

Mizore's mind went a-whirling as she pieced it together herself, but kept her peace. Kurumu, ever the dense one, was still confused. Luckily Inner Moka was kind enough to elaborate.

"**So your emotions bring forth the ghoul energy, hmm? Very well. We will learn to hone this as well. I expect you to have this under control soon, Tsukune." **And with that, she retrieved her rosary from her pocket and returned to the cheery, more outgoing Outer Moka. But not before she dropped a wink on him, stunning him once more. What was with her? One minute she was driving him to the brink of insanity, next she was leading him on, making him believe she was toying with him purely for her own amusement. It sure confused the hell out of him. A heavy sigh escaped him as he let it go and brought the group back toward the academy. It was time for some rest and recuperation.

X-X

The four were getting drinks at the vending machines and talking about inconsequential things as they were coming back from their training session. Water for Kurumu, tomato juice for the vampires, and tea for Mizore. The latter sighed as she opened the can. It simply wasn't a replacement for the green tea her mother makes.

Anyway, it was getting late, so the Duet decided to peruse the halls to see if they could find anybody to mess with, while the vampiric duo stayed behind, choosing instead to head back to the dorms. Moka needed to study and Tsukune wanted to meditate.

Moka kept glancing up at Tsukune's weary face, though. She was anticipating the trip out to the Arcade tomorrow, but she worried for the poor boy. Her other self never seemed to cut him any slack. He had almost bested her before she could react, and she just passed it off as if it were as meaningless as the change of day. A small pout formed on her face in response; she didn't approve of her dispassionate disrespect to Tsukune. The boy had noticed this, and shot a questioning glance her way.

A quick shake of her head told him he didn't need to know about it. More confusion for him, then. He would have to press further before they parted, though. He was almost used to the casual way she tread on his parade nearly every day, but that didn't mean he would try to change it in a heartbeat. No one liked being belittled. The sad thing was, Inner Moka herself wanted to stop her condescending responses, but she still didn't know how to go about treating him as her equal.

"Tsukune-san, can I ask you a question?" Moka queried out of the blue. That couldn't be good.

"Yes, Moka-san?"

A small blush dusted her cheeks. That didn't bode well, either. "What do you think of my other self?" said she, after a pause.

He stopped walking, again confused by the shot-in-the-dark question. So, he said the first thing that came to mind. "Well, I think she's a very powerful fighter, and a nice girl, but I think she's a bit too harsh on other people."

From within the rosary, Inner Moka cast her eyes downward at the truth in his voice. At least he was nice about it. She had been a cold-hearted bitch and she knew it. Of course, she hadn't expected her outer self to ask such a question, but she let it go. Something like this was necessary for progress. All right, then. She would make it up to him by accompanying him to the Arcade tomorrow.

Moka's hand flew to her mouth as her inner self told her of the vampiress' intentions. Her inner self _never _spent her free time with other people. She usually wanted to keep to herself.. unless...

Inner Moka had some feelings for Tsukune as well.

Tsukune's gaze rolled toward her at the quick little motion, but he kept walking as if nothing happened. He chalked it up to another Inner-Outer conversation going on again.

The moment passed, as they had arrived at the fork branching off to either dorm. The two turned to face each other, and they stared into the other's eyes for a moment. It was a treasure they seemed to share very infrequently, nowadays. Something always came up, be it fights, the Duet, or some emotional dampener. They liked each other, they really did, but something seemed hellbent on keeping them apart.

"Tsukune-san..." Moka started. She averted her eyes to the ground, uncomfortable with meeting his glowing ruby orbs.

"Yes, Moka-san?"

"I... She... My inner self would like to accompany you to the Arcade tomorrow." She clenched her eyes shut, wary of his potential outburst. But, as before, he coolly accepted this, albeit with eyes wider than saucers. When her gaze returned to his ever-peaceful face, she was surprised to see a low glowing warmth deep in the ruby irises of her best friend.

"I'd like that, Moka-san. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to go with you, too, but I feel this would be a great experience for Moka-sama."

A pent up breath she never knew she held escaped her for reasons unknown to her. Maybe it was because she was afraid he wouldn't be understanding of her other self. But now, she realized, he was understanding of everybody. Mizore, after all, had seemed like a complete sociopath until Tsukune warmed her over. Kurumu had promised trouble until the gentle soul had won her over without even trying. Empathy emanated from him like light from a lamp, and it demanded sympathy from all of those around him. Some could say it was his special gift, untainted by the colossal change in strength and nature wrought forth from the vampirism; even the darkest bloodlust of one of the oldest monsters in the world wasn't enough to remove the kindness from this boy.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, Moka-san," he said, slight reproach an underlying tenor in his voice.

She only brightened, determined to keep him happy while she was away. "I'll see you at ten, okay?" She wagged a finger at him, adding in a stern, playful voice: "And don't you dare keep me waiting, all right?" She finished with a smile and hugged him. Of course, it wasn't a normal hug; she had to have her fill of blood, after all.

"Capuchuuuu...!"

Far off behind some bushes, Mizore Shirayuki's eyes misted sadly.

X-X

It had been a long day, and Tsukune was tired. He ought to get some sleep; after all, he had a big day ahead of him come tomorrow. A real *hrm* date with Inner Moka! It was one of his most deep-seated dreams, but it also scared the living daylights out of him. Sure, she never seemed to show the desire to seriously hurt him, but something about the jaded vampiress set him on edge. And to top it off, he still couldn't figure out how to make the damn bracer return him to human form. It was already late, he had completed his meditation, and he didn't feel like messing with the magical item anyway. He undid the clasps along the side and tossed the thing into the corner. To his resigned surprise, he saw the latent youki barrier inside of the bracer disperse, meaning it had resumed its normal sealing function once again. You'd think the Exorcist would be a little more crafty as to how to revert back to human form with all the clever inventions already put into place, but that was another matter for another day. And hadn't he said something along the lines of, _"It's not exactly perfect just yet" _when he received it? Oh well. He cast aside his training clothes and pulled on his pajamas, then brushed his teeth. He went over to the bracer and put it back on, if anything to get into habit of wearing the thing. Luckily the headmaster had had enough foresight to enchant it with a spell that prevented it from chafing. The draining feeling was never pleasant, but it wasn't as bad as the first time now that he had something to go off of. Exhausted, he collapsed into bed, eager to retreat to the safety of his dreams. But as he was going down, his fading vampiric senses caught something glinting out the window. It looked like... ice.

Either way, he was too sleepy to care, and easily drifted off into the (seemingly) harmless dreamworld.

_Well, he certainly hadn't expected to reenter the dreamworld again. He had no inner conflict. And it didn't seem as if some demonic freak from who knows where was trying to kill him from within his own psyche, so... ah, yes. That was it. The ice._

_He could pick out the exact soul fragment that resembled his vampiric battle instincts with ease. Silvery fur, claws of ice, and leathery bat wings singled it out from the crowd. Although there were similar ones flying around in the ever-present cloud of fragments circling up above, this one seemed the most promising. He called it down with his mind, seeking its counsel._

_It landed gracefully, even with its abnormal features seemingly making it ungainly. It did not speak, even after Tsukune asked it a few questions. He considered yelling at it, but realized that would be futile as well. The fragment needed verification. Very well, then._

"_Greetings, fragment of my soul. My Name is Paradindaku. Could you assist me?" he ventured._

_The fragment visibly relaxed, now apparently willing to talk to him. It also stopped giving him the Eye, which was a bonus._

"_Welcome, Paradindaku. I am the Fragment of Technique. What do you need of me?"_

_Now he was getting somewhere. "Yes, I require assistance. Earlier today and two nights ago I was able to form ice on my arm, much like a snow person. Could you tell me why or how I was able to do this?"_

_The fragment chuckled, as if the question were elementary (well, it was, to it at least). "Your blood is a unique one, Paradindaku. There is a certain underlying ability hidden deep within the confines of your soul. You see, within you flows Shinso blood, which allows you to... memorize the youkai strains of energy of the blood that you ingest. It is a rare and coveted ability, but was much more common during the beginning of the Japanese vampires. Whatever monster blood you ingest will allow you to eventually utilize the basic abilities of the donator, as demonstrated by the ice formations you were able to create with the aid of the yuki-onna. Naturally, the more you ingest, the more proficiency you gain with the ability."_

_This gave Tsukune much to think about. Much indeed._

"_And what of monsters of the same species? What will happen if I drink their blood?"_

_The fragment laughed, as if it were the dumbest question he could possibly ask. "Nothing will happen, you fool. Now go, before you amuse me to death." _

_With that response, he really did feel like a fool. Either way, he now had more information that could assist him in battle, so it was a win in his book. He drifted away to return to the normal dreamless slumber he possessed before all this craziness started._

**Author's Notes: **Sorry for the delay, folks. Things have been hectic back here, and work has been delayed because of it (sadly). I know I haven't gotten to the super-romantic trip to the arcade, but I had already written half of this when I realized it would take two full chapter lengths to get all of what I was trying to say down, so I cut it in half. Fear not; Mononoke Arcade pt. 2 _shall _arrive sooner than normal! (Most of this business was SEAP application problems and homework, and debates over whether or not I should buy this Buick as my first car, so I apologize) As always, my friends, please enjoy what I work hard to deliver, and take care of yourselves.

For those wondering how I view concentrations of youki, I view it almost like Naruto's chakra channels; the major center of energy is the torso, and originates from the heart. It then branches off in veins that run throughout the body that act as the transition that allows monsters to use their natural abilities (hence, each monster has their own power, because of the power of their blood). Since youki energy originates from the life force of the ayashi itself, it is somewhat proportionate to the vitality of the monster (think Incredible Hulk here), but there is a catch. Use too much, and you die. Its limit is also determined by your vitality.

The major difference is different ayashi blood energies (youki) manifests itself in different ways, and therefore the way the energy is channeled differs as well. I won't give you a detailed list as to how exactly I view them, but generally, the more complex the blood ability, the more complex the flow is. For example, vampires' main blood ability is raw strength, and is the easiest to channel. Elemental energy is more difficult, and thus Tsukune's initial difficulty with its control. The most complex (drastic transformations, illusions, etc.) energies are the hardest to utilize. Hope I gave you guys an insight into how I view youki energy.


	12. Mononoke Arcade Pt 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

Tsukune awoke with some grogginess, not yet wanting to get himself out of bed. The sun needed to go away for good and explode or something, anything to make its rays not shine in his eyes, regardless of the eight minutes it takes for them to get there. He flapped a hand at the curtain while his head was still buried in the pillow, more for the motion than to actually do anything, and was surprised when the light suddenly vanished from the room. His eyes shot up from the cloth, and to his shock, (and regret) a huge, but thin sheet of ice had brought together the curtains and frozen them shut, essentially sealing them in a special lock that held its own weight. Which made the room oh so much colder, making him quickly get up and go over to the new sculptures.

He tried reversing the process, if anything to return the poor curtains to normal, but only succeeded in freezing the pole holding them up as well. A heavy sigh tore itself from his mouth, and he went to get a stick or something to beat the ice off. A quick third try after abandoning that idea only froze his very feet to the ground, too.

_Well that's just wonderful, _he thought. Oddly enough, the ice didn't feel as bad as he thought it should; it was only as cold as the cool water coming from the tap after two seconds of running. He lifted a foot with some effort, testing its thickness. Luckily, it apparently wasn't dense enough to keep him planted to the floor, as it broke off with only a second yank.

After getting a pan and eventually beating the ice off the curtains with it, Tsukune finally managed to clear all of the ice from his room with some effort. What a crazy morning, indeed. His brain chose that very moment, of course, to remind him that he had a very... important meeting with someone today, rooting him to the ground and erasing all the grogginess that remained with quick efficiency.

Over in the girls' dorms, Mizore had just woken up, and was certain that someone had used cryokinesis not two minutes ago. Or was it her imagination? It was too early to tell. Either way, it was her day off from everything, and she wanted to sleep some more. Whatever it was, it could wait for a few more minutes.

X-X

She didn't know what to do. Moka Akashiya was basically going on a date with her best friend, and she was having troubles deciding what to wear. It wouldn't be too difficult if only she were going as _herself _as they had originally planned, but she had to dress for her other self. How in the world was she to know what her pseudo-twin's tastes were? It didn't help that she only spoke up when it was of utmost importance, leaving her in the dark. It was a blessing they had decided to go at 10 a.m. later on after the talk, but that only helped soothe the worry, not erase it. A frustrated growl escaped her as she wracked her brain as to what Inner Moka would want to wear. It would be simple if she could remove the blasted cross herself, or if her inner self would just _talk _to her, but she was as silent as a ghost. Modest white dress with rose accents? Appreciative red low-cut one with frilled ends? Or simple cream blouse and black knee-length skirt that accentuated her pale skin? So many choices, no idea which one to pick. It made her poor head hurt.

She went with the blouse and skirt getup after at least another half hour of debating, finally fed up with what ifs and could bes and decided that her inner self could deal with it, if she was going to leave it to her. It really _did_ go well with her skin as is, and it'd only make Inner Moka's even paler skin look better. That, and her silver hair went with it perfectly. It would have to do.

She glanced at the clock after finally finishing up with getting ready, and was shocked to see a whole two hours had gone by during her fashion havoc. It was now around 9:10, and she had a mere twenty minutes to meet up with Tsukune before she was to be considered "late."

_Oh, wow... look at how the time goes by... I better get out the door quick or I'll never make it, _she thought (of course, it only took five minutes to get there, but this is a woman we're talking about). She darted around the room like a bee and got all of her things that she thought she'd need for the trip. Satisfied the room wasn't in mayhem and she had all that she could possibly want or need, she checked the room for the fourth time, locked the door on her way out, and headed to their usual meeting place with a smile on her face.

X-X

Kurumu hated waking up early. She would rather sleep in her bed, her knees curled to her chest, content to let the world slip away than get up. Days off were meant to be enjoyed, and Kurumu enjoyed nothing more than her beauty sleep. Of course, the scantily clad succubus was never in a good position to get what she wanted, as something was nearly _guaranteed_ to come up. This interruption decided to come in the form of an impatient Mizore. The snow maiden wanted to see her, and she would not be denied by a simple glass window. She simply formed some icy snowballs and started pelting the window just hard enough to rattle the glass.

The succubus still didn't want to get up. She merely turned away from the window and pulled the covers further over her shoulders. Sleep would _not_ be surrendered so easily.

Mizore's almost expressionless eyes deadpanned, her purple brows horizontal lines on her porcelain face. It seemed racket would not be enough to wake the stubborn girl. So be it. Her ice claws assumed their natural place on her arms, and used the index claw to cut a small hole in the glass. Ice could be just as sharp as any steel instrument, if it wanted to be. She popped the glass circle further into the room, and used a supernaturally extended icy finger to lift the catch on the window. With it finally open, she could unleash the full brunt of her fierce winter to wake the stubborn Kurumu.

Kurumu's eyes shot wide open when an icy wind yanked the covers away from her body and chilled her skin to the very bone. Her brain was instantly stimulated, and she leapt from the bed with an instinctual fire in her eyes. Her cognitive functions were not quite there yet; she only knew someone had come to rouse her from her slumber, and she intended to make them pay. Mizore only stood there, waiting patiently. She finally came to her senses and recognized her fellow Duet partner, and quickly noticed she was still in her sleeping clothes. Meaning nothing but a shirt and some dangerously short shorts. Mizore's eyes never wandered, but Kurumu could tell she was skeptical of her choice of clothing. A quick dash to the wardrobe fixed that, though, and the visitor got down to business.

"You know how I keep an eye on things, right?" Mizore started. Kurumu nodded, fully aware of her stalking habits. She had accepted it by now; the unwavering snow maiden's icy demeanor was a testament to her lone observation.

"Well, I saw Moka getting ready for some big event. I only caught bits and pieces, but it appears that Moka and Tsukune-kun are going someplace together." The yuki-onna's face never changed, but she conveyed all of her feelings with her eyes. Kurumu wasn't an expert at reading those icy globes, but she had gotten to know her well enough to read them with some proficiency. And they contained traces of jealousy and curiosity, the former being most prominent.

"What could it mean?" Kurumu pondered aloud. She had taken up a serious pace across the middle of the room, going back and forth with a hand on her chin in a very Holmes-esque gesture. Of course, it didn't help her think it out, but it was the thought that counted. Either way, Mizore looked on forlornly. This wouldn't get them anywhere soon.

"We should tail them to see where they're going. Can you keep quiet, Kurumu-san?"

The succubus stopped her pacing to look the snow maiden dead in the eyes. Her indignant affirmation was succeeded by yelping as she was dragged out the window without further ado. Mizore didn't approve of wasting time with useless conversation; she believed action was the way to go (except of course, in situations regarding romance), and so she went to the boys' side of the dorms to see if they could track Tsukune as he headed out with Kurumu in tow.

X-X

Tsukune had looked over his hair for the last five minutes in vain. No matter what he did, it always seemed to retain its messy mop formation. A heavy sigh was brought forth, and he resigned that little detail to Fate and straightened his button-up shirt. The khakis he had dug from the bottom of his wardrobe accentuated the white button-up nicely, and he thanked his mother for that. She always seemed to know just what to wear in various situations.

The trip was going to be amazing, but he didn't want to look like a slouch next to the ever-beautiful Moka-san (although he had a feeling he would anyway). It didn't help that his new physique bulged the shirt slightly. He had already been forced to forgo the bottommost button and the top one to leave some breathing room. Satisfied he looked presentable to himself, he headed out the door to finally make way for the big day. He never detected the ice blue and amethyst eyes tracking his every move from the trees in the courtyard.

The walk wasn't too far away from the dorms themselves, but every step seemed to make his heart beat faster. He could feel a familiar heat making its way up his back. He was nervous, there was no doubt about it. Tsukune had had similar signs when he had tried approaching the class beauty in seventh grade. He knew his voice would fare no better if he kept on like this. Besides, that other time was with a complete stranger, right? This was Moka-san, and Moka-san was more familiar to him than his own cousin by this point. He could pick her out in a crowd of thousands with no more effort than a hawk would its prey. But he would never hurt her. He may thirst for her blood, but he would never lay a hand on her. That much was certain.

He made it to the meeting point first, which was a good sign. If he showed up first, it wouldn't make him look like a jackass for standing her up if he was late. A good thing, too, for she had just appeared around the bend.

His eyes widened and he took an involuntary breath. Moka was beautiful by anyone's standards with the cheesy turquoise blazer and pleated mini-skirt as it is; her current outfit made her outshine the sun itself with her beauty. She never wore makeup as a habit, but today she had taken some slight accents to her eyes and polished up her cheeks to make them appear rosy, but not overly so to prevent the chance appearing sleazy. A light cherry red lipstick dusted her petite lips, making her whole face appear as if it were a timeless painting of a perfect woman from the world's most talented artist.

But that was just her head; the awe continued as he took in the cream blouse whose top button was also left undone. It really heightened her skin tone, and the black skirt served to keep the modesty that was inherent to Moka's nature. He could feel his mouth flapping like a fish's, but was powerless to stop it. When you come from a modest family and go through school without so much as a girlfriend, seeing this particular sight is enough to warrant a full-on heart attack. Luckily, being around three drop-dead gorgeous girls nearly every day for the past month had hardened him to this sort of thing somewhat, but the impact was still largely noticeable.

Moka blushed at his flabbergasted expression, under no illusions as to what he was gaping at. _Does he really think I'm that pretty?_ Her eyes instinctively found the ground to be very interesting at that point, anything to escape that silent approval.

"M-M-Moka-san, you l-look... look..." Curse his confounded mouth! Why can't he just say what he wanted to say? He shook his head in an attempt to clear the stupor he found himself in. He tried again: "You look amazing." Thankfully, he said this with a straight and serious face.

To her, it was amusing to see him struggle, but the rebound compliment was endearing all the same. Of course, it only served to deepen her blush. But the heartfelt moment was quickly and unceremoniously broken when more students popped out of nowhere, also heading to the bus stop. The two, embarrassed and guilty, quickly started walking together to the place where the bus driver usually arrived. The bus usually came around 10:30 to give the students a lift to the Mononoke Arcade that was not far from the Academy on days off. It served to help alleviate any tensions the students had, as well as let them purchase amenities and other things that would otherwise be unavailable to them. Mikogami chose this spot well, and he fully endorsed the school transportation being used as a medium to get to the two places. Granted, it wasn't far, but no student wanted to walk home with thirty kilos of shopping latched to their backs.

By the time the group of students (including Tsukune and Moka) got there, the bus was already pulling up. Everyone boarded quickly, each telling the nearest person about all the fun things they planned to do with their free time in the Arcade. After all, Mononoke offered everything from food to clothing and even its own movie theater. That, and the arcade section for which the plaza was (partly) named. The bus driver (still with that creepy ear-to-ear toothy grin) closed the doors and sped off on a fork in the dirt road shortly after the entrance to the tunnel.

The grounds entrance was basically in the circumference of a large circle that enclosed the youkai realm. The Great Barrier allowed nothing else to pass, as the everything beyond the Barrier's protection was met with cliffs leading to the same red sea visible just off the entrance to the tunnel. The path straight into the pseudo-island led to the Academy, which was in the left side of the landmass. The road forked before getting there, however, and the path leading to the right went straight to the shopping district, aka the Arcade. A huge expanse of dead forest separated the two complexes, and some old decrepit buildings littered the area in between. To the north was an old abandoned castle that no one knew about. Youkai legends say that an old and spiteful man once lived there and ruled over the dimension hundreds of years before Mikogami created the Great Barrier and set up the Academy. After it was built, the place lost its luster and slowly started to fade way until it was nothing more than a kid's haunted building where he would dare his friends to explore inside. Of course, no one ever ventured in there, but that was beside the point. Also, the tunnel near the cliffs was not the only one in the realm; two others dotted the edge of the Barrier with an equal distance from one another. It's just that no one used them, although they all served the same purpose. Technically, one could go to the Eastern tunnel and still enter all the different youkai realms as easily and quickly as the more commonly used Southern one.

Enough of the land description, already. The bus was almost to the Arcade, and Tsukune's heart had started racing again for no good reason. Well, _almost_ no good reason. The ride had been quiet, but Moka had sat next to him the entire time, and her closeness had been bearable until the point where buildings appeared from a break in the forest. Well, not exactly buildings per se; the structure was actually a huge stone wall that helped make the district look more modern than the decrepit wrought-iron fence the Academy used ever could. The gate was even a nice modern aluminum.

Anyway, the bus dropped them off just inside, and the bus driver told them over the intercom that he'd be back in three hours. That gave them enough time to look around, get a bite to eat, and either get some things or play at the arcade for an hour.

After everyone ran off in a hundred different directions, Moka and Tsukune were left standing alone. It was time for the real deal (and the cause of Tsukune's nervousness, but he didn't know it). Moka cast her emerald eyes on Tsukune's with an unspoken question, telling him to remove the rosary. She regretted leaving her other self with him immensely, but Inner Moka usually gets what she wants, and this was no exception. They were almost like sisters; Moka was kinder, but Inner Moka had the greater authority. His hand did not shake as it did once before in the hospital; now it was firm, and although slow, deliberate. The release was, as expected, jaw-dropping, but he was ready for it. As was Inner Moka; she knew her vampiric energy would startle the weakling monsters, so she tried to reign in as much of it as she could so as to not ruffle their feathers.

After the miniature whirlwind that was nothing compared to what she could truly accomplish, Inner Moka stood in her true and glorious form, regal as ever.

_Don't be mean to him, _Outer Moka scolded her from within the rosary. _This is just a trip for fun. No fighting, no violence, just fun. _

A smirk played across her lips at her other self's stern scolding, but passed it off. This was going to be fun, for sure, and she wouldn't mess it up for the world.

Wait, what?

Since when had she come to the point where a simple outing with her _friend _was something vitally important to her, regardless of the fact that she was trying to make up for her heartlessness earlier? This wasn't meant to be anything special, just a break from the constant studying and training they always did. A small tic mark had appeared above her brow, but she quelled it. Fun could be a nice distracting change from her constant battles. After all, she had girlish needs, too, right? The outfit she was wearing was a testament to that. While her other self had desperately tried to appease her tastes, it was something she would never wear for an occasion of this sort. At least she tried, though.

"Um, Moka-sama...? Are you all right?" came Tsukune's hesitant query.

Her reverie broken, she put on one of her trademark grins, although this one was softened by the playful gleam hidden in her crimson eyes. **"What is this? The big bad Tsukune wants to take **_**me**_** out on a date? And in human form, no less?" **She hadn't meant anything by it, of course, but a small chuckle escaped her when he quickly rushed to summon his true form through the seal. Of course, he could've just taken it off, but he realized, as Inner Moka was released, that subtlety would be necessary here. Luckily he had practiced this, and was able to release his vampiric form with some ease, and no fanfare. When he actually thought about it, it kind of made sense. It told everyone else that the they and they alone were together, and no one else was to intrude. That, and the school rules weren't enforced here, as could be seen by the stray monster in his true form wandering by in the streets ahead.

Now genuinely pleased, Inner Moka took Tsukune by the hand and led him speedily into the hustle and bustle of Mononoke Arcade. He had no choice in this, as was quickly shown to him when a particular store caught his eye. Inner Moka was much more inclined to check out the clothing stores first, and naturally they were at the far end of the district. Being the gentleman he was, Tsukune made no effort to resist as he was dragged from shop to shop. The only embarrassing parts were when she took him into the women's undergarment stores to help her pick out ones that suited her tastes. Of course, he couldn't utter a word the entire time, so she measured the quality based on her opinion and the level of Tsukune's blush. Usually, the redder it was, the better the item. He could tell she was genuinely enjoying herself, though, so he endured it for her sake. He had never seen this side of the jaded vampiress, and he thought he could see a bit of the ice melting from her demeanor. It certainly helped his favor with her, if she was picking out undergarments in his presence. Not that she would ever let him see her in them, of course.

Luckily, that whole fiasco had come and gone when she moved into dresses and outfits, which was much easier to handle. Her decisions were tasteful, yet attractive at the same time. It only made her more mystifying. One minute she'd be picking out lace panties that would put strippers to shame and tossing them into boxes with more modest choices, then she was trying on very tasteful Victorian dresses and modern button-ups and pants. Skirts simply weren't her choice, and would much rather wear pants. Khakis, dress, suede, anything that wasn't a skirt. The more flexible the better. The only reason she ever wore them was when she didn't have a choice.

They had only gotten two items off their list (which was painfully long – Tsukune's own items were a scant two near the bottom) when the clocks spread around hit midday. Tsukune was relieved, while Inner Moka was only mildly surprised. Naturally, they hadn't brought blood packs, and they can't feed off of the populace, so they headed over to the food court with Tsukune acting as the two's pack mule. Thanks to his newfound vampiric strength, the weight was nothing, but that didn't mean the fifteen or so boxes weren't cumbersome.

Setting the boxes down near the closest open table, Tsukune straightened his back dramatically before eying the various mini-stores scattered around the court. One particular store caught his attention: one of the main dishes was kayu, and he thought it would taste very rewarding at this point.

"Moka-sama, what do you think of some kayu? I don't feel like eating much, but I'm starving!"

Her head snapped to meet his gaze, a look on her face that questioned his intellect. **"Tsukune, you're a full-fledged vampire. Rice porridge has a lot of water in it, and that'll give you so much digestion trouble you'll be bed-ridden for weeks!"**

He was shocked at the sudden outburst, and even more so that he would get sick from eating simple porridge, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Water is a vampire's greatest weakness, he had been told, and he guessed ingesting it wasn't exactly the greatest idea. He had to get used to all the new restrictions on his life now that he was a totally different species.

"Moka-sama, could you teach me what I can and can't eat, please? I... don't know much about this sort of thing." His eyes fell to the ground, embarrassed at his apparent shortcoming. But to his even greater surprise, Inner Moka simply smiled and walked over to him, grabbing his arm tentatively, almost like Outer Moka would when she wanted him to come along. His eyes only widened further in surprise, but the reaction was masked quickly by one of his trademark grins. And so she walked him around the stores, showing him what menu items he could eat and which ones would make him throw up instantaneously. All the while he felt as if he were really connecting with the jaded vampiress. She seemed... much more open than she was during their training sessions. Tsukune really enjoyed seeing her like this. It was satisfyingly normal, for a change, and she also seemed to treating him like an equal.

Finally settling down for some sushi after the tour, they ate peacefully and made small talk. However, when he addressed her as "sama" once more, she shook her head slightly and enclosed his hand with both of hers. **"You can call me 'Moka-san,' too, if you want, Tsukune," **she told him quietly. The act was yet another shot out of the blue today, as she had always demanded his respect for her, on and off the battlefield. To let him address her as his equal... it was fascinating. She looked down on everyone, including himself beforehand, even as a vampire. If he was allowed to address her as his equal, then that means...

No, that's preposterous. Inner Moka only cared for him as much as a distant friend would. Right? He stiffened slightly, his youki radar detecting something. And it was coming from... the girl in front of him? How? Moka-sama -scratch that, Moka-_san_,- was _never_ agitated, however infinitesimally. It only served to bolster his presumptions. A rush of blood filled his cheeks as the idea finally set in that Inner Moka actually held feelings for him. She, the jaded vampiress, unreachable, unattainable, had been warmed over as the three before her.

"**Tsukune? Is something wrong?" **A worried look had taken place on her eyes, barely visible, but there all the same. Tsukune snapped out of it, a quick smile masking the break.

"I'm fine, Moka-sa – Moka-san. I was just thinking about how great today was. Would you like to hit the bookstore after we eat?"

A pleased smile, imitating his own, covered her face, although she hadn't missed his misstep. She would get it out of him somehow; she knew him long enough to know when he was lying. It didn't help that he couldn't lie to save his life, but that was beside the point.

They finished their meals, and Tsukune resumed his role as pack-mule for their purchases. As he suggested, they ventured into the bookstore, if nothing else to look at the shiny new covers heftily displayed near the front. Oddly enough, Inner Moka went to the back corner to look at some gothic novels, both graphic and prose. Another oddity that only served to deepen her mysteriousness.

One book was bought, and they were out perusing the shops once again. Store after store they passed, and it seemed Inner Moka's shopping desires were temporarily sated. But one particular vendor caught Tsukune's attention, one that offered a fortune-telling service. For some reason, the shop called to him, and he asked Moka-san if he could give it a try.

"**I see no use for those tricksters. They all lie; only a very few real psychics exist, and not all of them youkai. But, if it tickles your fancy, go ahead."**

He dropped off the boxes of their plunder just inside the door, which was not a door but a curtain made of intricately designed beads of white and black. The walls were covered in velvet, and some cinnamon incense that smelled decades old was burning somewhere in the background. No psychics were anywhere to be seen, even at the desk a few feet in. The desk itself was buried under piles of random artifacts and talismans, and a skull (which actually looked very real) adorned the corner, untouched. An old-fashioned bell-pull matched the other corner, making it symmetrical in item placement. The desk was made of ebony, and had no drawers, only the surface and what appeared to be a miniature kanji sign for "Black Magic" engraved in the middle of the front that would hide the legs from the front.

"Hello?" Tsukune ventured. Where was the vendor? You'd think the person would be sitting at the desk, a hood over their eyes and waving some of the random trinkets around.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, just gimme a second," sounded a creaky voice from the back. A loud rummaging sound and the high-pitched shriek of breaking glass came from the same area. Finally, a disheveled old man who seemed to be at least a hundred years old shuffling toward them. He sat at the desk after an eternity of walking, and addressed the duo.

"Yes, what would you like?"

"W-well, I was wondering if you could predict my future? I'm kind of curious as to what you may see," Tsukune said nervously. The sagely old man smiled, and offered his hand, palm up, in gesture for payment of some sort.

But when Tsukune started fumbling around in his pockets for his wallet, the old man slapped him with a walking cane on the arm that seemingly came out of nowhere.

"No, not money. I need blood. You are a vampire; the magic in your blood is the key to my foresight," the old man explained. He held out his palm once again, insistently.

Tsukune cast a quick glance at Inner Moka, to see if she was okay with this. After a moment's thought, she gave a wary nod. Not much could be done with a small drop of vampiric blood alone, but it was still cause for concern.

Tsukune used his fangs to cut a small slice in his palm and held it over the old man's, letting a few drops fall onto the shrunken appendage. Interestingly enough, the blood burst into flame and seemed to run up the old man's veins right into his temples, and he put his fingers to them, as if massaging a burning headache.

"Quickly, now, my boy," the man said, frantic. "Grab that seat and sit down. I need to focus."

A quick turn around saw a small metal folding chair that he swore wasn't there before. Oh well, this was pretty intense. He'd see it through.

The old man started humming, softly at first, but quickly gaining in pitch. His closed eyes scrunched up more than once during this process, and when his voice appeared to not be able to go any louder, he stopped all motion. The man's eyes shot open, snapping immediately to Tsukune's with pinpoint accuracy. Tsukune was about to ask a question, but was interrupted by the man's voice, rambling seemingly of its own.

"You were descended from one of the second-most powerful families of Japan's first vampires. The discrimination against the blood-drinkers forced them to hide their intense power and masquerade as humans, to escape the rampant killings. Generation after generation the blood hid, dormant in your ancestor's now waning vampire blood. But when this girl came along, your blood was reawakened, and your power has, as well. But something went wrong, went awry. The blood was corrupted, and your power grew, but your mind receded. Something... something I cannot see restored the balance, and now you have the blood under control again. But that's not the end of it. The reestablishment of control has awakened something else within you, young man. A powerful, ancient bloodline originating from your lovely friend here."

Inner Moka's eyes widened, completely shocked by the assumption that she was the cause of whatever was happening to him. Either way, the old man continued unimpeded.

"That bloodline has brought forth a power worth fighting for, and with it shall come responsibility, but also anguish, greed, and a test of your willpower. One day, you will make a choice; shun the light, and embrace the dark, or take all of the hurt you now possess into your very soul and go forth. What the outcome of those two are is uncertain, but I know this; one day you will be one of the most powerful vampires to walk this earth in over 200 years."

Now Inner Moka's eyes narrowed, skeptical of this seemingly cliché attempt to seem authentic. She quickly thanked the old man for his time, put some change on his desk for his services, and dragged Tsukune back out (but making sure he got the boxes first).

"**See, Tsukune? I told you psychics like him were liars."**

**Author's Notes: **I am so, SO sorry for the delay. Life has gotten a huge chunk of time from me, and I couldn't do anything about it. BUT, the chapter is here, and its focus is on the trip to Mononoke Arcade as promised, so what can I say? Enjoy! Vincent.


	13. Looming Evil

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

Tsukune didn't really approve of how Inner Moka completely threw off the little psychic's predictions (then again, she could be extremely harsh when she wanted to... he guessed he just let his guard down while she was being so pleasant), but it was only a mere splotch against the colorful time he had had with Inner Moka, and he wouldn't have it any other way. They were heading out down the southern main street, a little ways from the food court. The bus's next arrival time was coming up, and they had had enough, Tsukune especially; their purchases were light in weight, but Inner Moka hadn't had the opportunity to shop for herself for the last decade or so, hence the over-encumbered Tsukune. It made for an amusing sight, what with Inner Moka herself only carrying one tiny bag. The curious thing about it was he didn't know what was in it; after the psychic's place, she had bid him wait by one of the nearby newspaper stalls while she went to go get something. Her tone told him she didn't want him to know about it, but that was okay. It was probably something inconsequential.

Either way, the sun was going down, and it was time to go home. A theatrically panting Tsukune and Inner Moka emerged at the gate, looking for the bus stop. Moka headed to the place where they were dropped off and patiently waited for Tsukune, casting one eye back over her shoulder.

"Moka-sa... Moka-san! Wait up!" he called through a smile bigger than his face. Granted, he could carry the entire weight with one hand if the shape allowed, but he enjoyed making a big deal out of the rather large sack strapped to his back that held most of the items, and the other few bags in each arm. Inner Moka just shook her head (albeit with a small smile), and kept her gaze down the path. Luckily, the bus soon appeared from the trees, and the two boarded with some other people that had decided to leave.

While he let her get on, he tried to peek into the little bag she held at her other side, but he didn't expect a foot in his shin – followed by angry glares from further female passengers. Befuddled, he took it and got on last. There were mutters of "pervert" circulating around the back afterward, but he didn't hear it. The position, and the unfortunate location of the bag, led his gaze to dangerous territory, and the girls thought some much needed retribution necessary.

X-X

When they got back, they both decided to drop the shenanigans and just get their stuff into their respective rooms. After much hassle from the hall monitors in the girls' dorms, they went to the courtyard and sat on one of the benches. Tsukune was merely content, while Inner Moka was oddly reserved. A minute passed with him staring off into the ever dreary sky, and her contemplation going unheeded. Right before the moment became awkward, though, Inner Moka spoke up.

"**Tsukune, I know what you're thinking, and it should stop now,"** she started. He stopped, stiff, but did not look at her. **"Today was fun, it really was. But I've seen how you've been looking at me and my other self these past few weeks. I cannot allow this to go further. I-"**

"Moka-san, what are you talking about?" She jumped, not in the least expecting him to interrupt her. Once the shock passed, pure anger coursed through her veins, ready to beat him down into the ground and beyond for this insolence. But when she whipped her fiery gaze to him, she stopped, surprised once again. He was looking at her with those cool, innocent eyes of his, under no pretense of what she was talking about, nor recognizing the vampiric rage boiling in her eyes. This is what stopped her short; she saw no insinuating feelings in those ever-familiar reptilian eyes, and knew there was no purpose to her carefully prepared lecture. It seems as if he were just bumbling along, going with her whims because he wanted to, not as a means to some nefarious or plotting end...

Her eyes widened imperceptibly, a revelation hitting her. He really did view her as nothing but his friend...! But does that mean...? Or does he...? She didn't know. Sometimes he really confused the hell out of her, and this was a doozy. A small and startled laugh escaped her, and she looked away. She could still feel his inquiring glance on her, and quelled it with a quiet "it's nothing." After a moment, she bid these alien feelings away and joined him in staring at the sky.

It was nice, this being together. Of course, being back on academy grounds, it couldn't last forever; Mizore had spied them returning, and fetched Kurumu immediately. Presently, they were watching the vampires from above, on the roof of the girls' dorm. The distance wasn't too long for their supernatural hearing, and they were getting more and more agitated with each passing moment – well, Kurumu was.

"Mizore, when are we going to stop them?!" she whispered vehemently. She didn't know why, but whenever those two got closer than they should, a bitter and nasty feeling erupted in her chest, making her want to break it up as soon as possible, and in the most obnoxious way.

"We won't," she whispered, inaudible to normal human ears. When Kurumu moved to respond, "Not yet, at least. Let's see what happens." She herself was interestingly intrigued in the interaction, and was anticipating either a fight or a gooey making out session. Either way was fine with her, just as long as it was passionate.

The succubus wasn't happy with letting this intimate scene go on any longer than it had to, but she admired the yuki-onna's patience, so she attempted to match up to her stoic virtue. Down below, Tsukune's ears pricked the slightest bit, prompting Mizore to put a kunai, however miniscule, in her forehead.

"I'm a bit thirsty. Would you like something to drink, Moka-san?" Tsukune asked her.

"**Yes, the usual," **came her curt reply. He got up to head over to one of the vending machines by the dorm wall and get some tomato juice. The timing was just about perfect for her. She quickly got up herself, and with a quick and frighteningly fast kick to the nearby tree, felled the spies from their stoop. Inner Moka's cruel smile told them when they looked up that she had knew the entire time that they were stalking them. Tsukune walked back, and was surprised to see his other two friends lying on the ground with Inner Moka looming over them. By this point, he was used to seeing the unexpected, so he merely sighed and went to get two more for the new arrivals.

"**So, to whom do I have the pleasure of thanking for intruding on my alone time with Tsukune – with my foot?" **Her eyes were benign, but the way her lip was twitching every now and then bode unfathomable danger. Mizore, ever calm, simply stood and stared lackadaisically into the vampire's eyes, with no ready or reasonable rebuke apparent. Kurumu, however, was a different story.

"Is there something wrong with watching my friend? Or are you jealous of a little competition?" The succubus' bravado was admirable, but all the bravado in the world wouldn't help against the fury bespoken from the vein now pulsing steadily above her brow.

"Really, Moka-san, there's no need to hurt them," Tsukune intervened, trying to be the mediator. "It was just for fun, and there was no real harm in it." He tried using one of his appealing smiles to alleviate the mood.

Inner Moka was merely amused at Tsukune's rather mild attempt at referee, but this was an incident out of his jurisdiction. A quick smash on Kurumu and Mizore's heads put them in their place for the time being. **"Tsukune, don't you think you should put your seal back on? It **_**is **_**against the rules to be in vampire form on campus."**

Seeing his eyes widen in sudden realization really was priceless, and his scurrying actions even more so as he flew about, looking for the bracer. Anyway, it was late, so she went over to him and stopped his fluttering to give him a quick hug before she went up to her room. Some meditation was required after a day like this. Inner Moka was almost around the corner when she decided to take a look back. What she saw, however, was not Tsukune still bustling around while those two bimbos looked on; it was, in fact, something seemingly out of a dream. There he stood, a vampire, and a yuki-onna's aura was emanating from what should be a normal secondhand bloodsucker. The aspect that drove the whole scene home was his eyes; even with the distance, her supernatural vision was able to spot the ring of purple surrounding crimson globes. She knew what the purple meant; bright, ice blue had penetrated the irises, mixing with his normal red to create that ethereal purple. However, none of that explained the icy aura surrounding him. Apparently, he had resorted to feeling for the bracer with the ambient water vapor, a trick Mizore had shown them all a couple of weeks back while looking for her notebook (it was actually her diary). It involved feeling for an object with the water molecules, then freezing said object when found. The sound made ought to reveal the sneaky item's location, and was relatively accurate, as long as the user's hearing was sharp. Inner Moka knew what it was after she saw the fog around the entire courtyard; her knowledge was reaffirmed when the telltale tinkle of instantly formed ice came from under the bench where they were sitting. Apparently he had shoved some books underneath when they sat down, and the bracer along with it.

Her brow knit dangerously as she turned to continue on her way. This was not normal vampiric behavior at all, and he would have some explaining to do tomorrow. She was tired after perusing the lowly back-street market they called a shopping mall, and it was time to rest.

X-X

After Inner Moka had left, presumably to get some rest, the Duet merely talked with Tsukune a bit, completely ignoring his cryokinesis, and commented on his trip with the ever-intemperate vampiress. He tried to keep as much from them as possible, as much for his sake as hers, and was barely successful in warding off their probing questions. Finally, though, his defensive laughing kept them at bay, and they wished each other good night. Unbeknownst to any of them, though, a certain S-class monster with eerily glowing red eyes was watching the three of them from atop the roof of the dorm. The vein pulsing above her eyebrow wasn't as intense as before, but it was still there, beating steadily. Vampires were skilled climbers – they had to be, if they were to hunt their prey effectively – and it was a favored method of spying for the predator of the night if she wanted to look on undetected.

Satisfied that nothing out of the ordinary had passed between them, she headed back over the shingles to her side of the dorm, and lowered herself into her window. She would think about this in the morning, when she were more rested.

Tsukune lay in his bed, hands behind his head. The day had gone exceptionally well, and he wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world. The memories of the trip would never leave his mind, no matter what happened. There were still plenty of questions though; he never seemed to be in a shortage of those, for some reason. A good one was what the hell was in that little bag? Possibilities had been circulating in his mind ever since she had shown up with it. He let it go, for now; there were more important things to think about than some trivial trinket. Like how would Inner Moka react to his ice powers? Tsukune had never heard of a vampire manipulating ice, and it surely didn't make sense, since ice was basically solid water... The look she had given him when he went to find his bracer surely didn't bode well, either. He hoped the fallout wouldn't be too bad... Either way, it probably wouldn't be too bad, and his happy thoughts wouldn't be ruined by thinking about the future.

He got up to get ready for bed, seeing no sense in staying up much longer. All was well, his belly was full, and tomorrow showed moderate promise. He changed into his pajamas and went to brush his teeth, mind far away. Almost halfway through the cycle, Tsukune heard a knock on his door, followed by a vague voice that he couldn't make out. He finished up with his teeth and called out to the visitor, wondering who the heck would want to visit him at a time like this.

As soon as the knob was free of the latch, the door was kicked into his face, stumbling him. Dazed, Tsukune tried to look through his blurry eyes to make out the assailant.

"You again," he growled, staring viciously at the figure in front of him. Moburu tried to glare down at him, even though the two were now about the same height.

"Yes, me again. I'm not very happy about being thrashed by a lowlife vampire. Especially since it wasn't even you doing it. Don't narrow your eyes at me; you know yourself that you weren't normal after I nearly beat you to death." His cockiness and composure only served to make him more annoying, and quite frankly, Tsukune wasn't happy about it.

"Get out of here, you monster. I don't want you here." Each word was carefully enunciated, with barely restrained anger coursing through it.

"Oh? You going to make me, boy? That's right! You can't. So don't waste your breath."

"How did you even get in here, Moburu? Only students are allowed to enter Youkai," Tsukune asked. He genuinely was curious; the beast looked much older than a teenager, and he surely didn't act like it. The fact that his details were almost blatantly faked didn't help his case, either.

"Haven't figured it out yet, huh? What do they teach you here? Basic calligraphy? I'm a doppelganger, you fool. I copy the abilities and strength of those I come into contact with. You may be wondering why I didn't copy your shape; it's because vampires are so much weaker than the demons you find in the real Underworld, not like these pansies you call monsters at this school." With that, he drove a foot into Tsukune's chest, much like the first time, sending the vampire out the window (he was lucky it was open; there was no way he could afford a replacement) and into the courtyard. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt anywhere near the first time he had been kicked... The back of Tsukune's mind was curious as to what exactly that meant.

Either way, he had no time to dwell on it. The prick that called himself Moburu was already landing in front of him. To the shape-shifter's surprise, however, Tsukune was already on his feet, and was about to deactivate the seal.

"What happened to your hair, boy? I thought real vampires had silver hair!" As he finished the jest, he darted forward to take Tsukune down with a driving fist, and then to repeat last time's events. Moburu's eyes widened, though, when a flash of red and silver erupted from the boy, and he was no longer in sight. Moburu stopped the attack, looking around for the troublesome kid.

"Happy now? I'm all gussied up," said a voice from behind. Moburu lashed out at the voice's location, hoping to catch him by surprise.

To his dismay, the doppelganger hit nothing but air, and Tsukune was a good distance away, mocking him with his carefree expression. "You were not this strong when I fought you before! What the hell happened?!" he roared. The telltale signs of the different... thing that had kicked his ass before was not here, so he should be able to deal with the kid... but why wasn't he able to?

"You do know I wasn't a full vampire yet, right?"

"Huh?!" Moburu couldn't believe this; that would mean...

"Yeah. I was recently changed when you decided to barge in and try to kill me." Tsukune's face was serious, but his tone was lax, as if he were talking to a random stranger on the street. This only served to make Moburu angrier, for some reason. Youki began to emanate from the man, marking his fury.

"I will not be bested by a boy!" he yelled, and charged Tsukune once again. Tsukune could easily track his movements; apparently, the long training sessions with Inner Moka were paying off. That, and he was definitely a lot stronger than the first time this jerk had fought him. Speaking of which, a spinning backhand punch flew his way, aiming right for his face. Out of reaction more than decision, he caught the obtrusive arm with his right hand, stopping the attacker in his place. Growling like an animal, Moburu viciously swung his other fist underhand to put it between Tsukune's ribs, but he caught that with his other hand, too. Oddly enough, Moburu resorted to purely overpowering him, struggling to put him down.

_Well I can play that game too,_ Tsukune thought. He channeled his youki into his calves and arms, matching the attacker bit for bit. Now it was a pure struggle to see who was stronger; but to Tsukune, it didn't seem anywhere near as serious nor intense as the first time. Was the imposter really this weak? Or had he gotten that much stronger? He didn't know, and cared even less. He was tired of this bullshit; fighting nearly every day for apparently no reason was beginning to wear on his nerves. He put more juice into his limbs, meaning to end it quickly.

What he didn't expect was a low blow to his shin, just after applying more of himself. Once down, the coward launched a kick right into his face, sending him through the bench he had sat on not too long ago. Tsukune's anger sparked; now Moburu was just playing dirty. Fine, then. If he wanted to get beat down, he would get it. With an outburst of his aura, he practically flew toward the doppelganger, and drove a powerful knee right into his abdomen before he could react. The recovery, power up, and charge had all happened in seconds; Moburu simply couldn't react to that kind of speed.

"What... happened...? How... are you... so strong...?" he spat out in between coughs. He wasn't done yet, but already he was hurting, and that didn't bode well, if the kid's power was anything to go by.

Tsukune smirked, before a mask of melancholy overcame his pale face. "Vampires are not monsters to be tested, as you just found out. I am only second-born, after all. If you think I'm strong, go and pick a fight with Moka-san. The pink-haired one you took down earlier? She's a thousand times stronger than me." _And that means I may never earn her respect..._

Moburu grimaced, then stood. Apparently he was done, if he couldn't outmatch Tsukune's full strength. It was fine by him, so long as the little bastard didn't pull any more tricks. The man's red eyes searched Tsukune's, then he said, "Fine. You have bested me. But don't think I'll take you down someday in the future. After all, you are not the strongest youkai in this realm, not by a long shot. Until then, just watch your back." With that, he turned and walked away in the direction of the school, a little stiffness in his stride.

His last remark sparked a reaction in Tsukune's brain, but he couldn't remember what it was, let alone decipher what it meant. It was familiar... yet not, at the same time. He would have to think on it another time, then; it was late and... judging by the looks of the courtyard (and his dirty clothes), he would have to do some answering tomorrow. With a sigh, he cleaned up what he could and returned to his room, and threw the pajamas into the wastebasket. They were no longer able to function as clothes, seeing as they had huge gashes in the back and sides. Which reminded him of the scratches on his own back; he felt for them with his fingers, and was surprised to feel nothing but uninterrupted new skin. Vampiric healing really was a marvel to behold...

With that, he fell straight onto his bed, and drifted off to sleep almost immediately. Dreams would not leave him alone, but at least they were normal, human dreams instead of the morbid ones he had had earlier.

X-X

The next morning, all four of the group awoke around the same time, glad that they at least had one more day before being forced to return to their classes. It was a wonderfully bland day, as it always was, and full of opportunity. Well, that was Kurumu's thoughts before she met up with Mizore. The snow girl always seemed to mellow her out, and at least calm the more obnoxious antics she thought up.

Tsukune and Moka got up the same way, ironically enough. Roll out of bed, brush teeth, make oneself presentable, head out the door with a determined attitude and a smile. Before long, all four were present and accounted for in their usual meeting spot up the road from the academy. Kurumu, as usual, proverbially exploded onto a meek Tsukune, before being torn off by the other two.

"Hey guys," he said, greeting each of them. His eyes lingered on Moka's for a split second longer than the others, but no one noticed. "How's it going?"

"Pretty well, if you ask me! So what're we doing today?" said Kurumu.

"Well... don't you think it would be nice to get some breakfast first?" Moka's voice always seemed to come in as if it were from a quiet radio riddled with static. As it were, however, it was always a reasonable and logistic approach, no matter the circumstance. It made her all the more endearing, seeing as the cuteness outweighed the seriousness. It was when her Inner self came out that it became unsettling. Debonair and serious made for quite an intimidating combo.

"Yeah, that actually sounds pretty good," Mizore chimed in. She never cared much for whatever shenanigans the others got into, but she liked to see what happened afterward. Such as whatever was planned for today. Besides, food was pretty much a necessity after just waking up.

The others agreed, and went to go get some breakfast at the academy. Afterward, it would be more training, since there was nothing better to do, and no one wanted to do homework on a free day like this. As they were walking there, Tsukune couldn't help but feel eyes on the back of his head, even though they were all walking pretty much side by side. He didn't know it was Moka (or rather, Inner Moka from within the rosary); she had not forgotten his little show of cryokinesis last night, and she knew all about his conversation with her other self after they had gotten back. He ignored the feeling, sensing no danger in it, and continued on.

Inner Moka meant to take full advantage of his naivete when they started training; she was genuinely curious about his peculiar new ability, and wanted to explore it for all it was worth. That, and figure out how the hell he had managed to procure it... however, she was genuinely pleased that he had at least grown stronger over the past week. Secondhand vampire or not, he would make the powerful race proud given enough time. Which led to thoughts about the hundred fights he's been in... if he doesn't watch his back, he might get killed before he could reach his full potential.

A smirk took place on her phantom face. That, she figured, was the reason she was here, then. Tsukune had unleashed her true form, and she guessed it were only right to repay him by making him strong enough to handle his own. It may hurt, both in ego and physically, but it would be best for him.

They had arrived at their usual training spot, and quickly started their normal stretching routines. Two cyclones of youki and five minutes later, the group began their katas with Inner Moka at the lead. She had already been taught as a young girl, and put herself above training at present. It didn't matter if it were for sport or otherwise to her; her prowess could fell an entire army, and hence there was no need to train, because then it would just be an insult. Of course, it was still amusing to oversee how clumsy the others' form was, and that made the warm-up all the more enjoyable. That, and the drill-sergeant role...

"**Straight! Hook! Uppercut! Turn, kick! All right, finish with a jab! Jeez, keep it together, Kurumu! Full power ushiro-geri in unison! No, no, no, it has to be harmonic...! If there were enemies behind you three one of you would be mincemeat for sure. Repeat...!"** She loved her role, she really did. It truly let her be how she was before she came to this blasted school.

After ten minutes, and high hostility, they quit with the warming up and moved on to the real training. Inner Moka sent the duo off to practice their team techniques, while she called Tsukune over to have a private chat on the edge of the circle.

"Kurumu, does it ever occur to you that Tsukune-kun and Moka-sama spend a little too much time together?" whispered Mizore as the two walked further away. Seeing as it was hard enough to hear the yuki-onna's voice at normal volume, Kurumu had to strain to make out most of the words.

"Yeah, I kinda noticed that, too... it's getting out of hand! We need to do something..." Mizore rolled her eyes, weary of the drama that was bound to come. She liked Kurumu for her sincerity and passion, but sometimes it was a bit over the top. She herself never endorsed the million crazy schemes the succubus thought up, but it was amusing to hear them all the same. Amusing, but then she had to moderate them or stop the girl altogether. But she liked Kurumu, so she kept her around.

"Maybe, but not right now. Moka-sama can destroy us with a flick of her finger, and you know it. We'll have to wait for later." Kurumu knew she was right, but the disappointment was palpable.

"You're right... but I want free reign when it comes time to planning," she acquiesced.

"**Tsukune, I know you're hiding something."**

"What...? What are you talking about, Moka-san?"

"**I saw what you did last night, Tsukune. Don't pretend to hide it."**

"M-Moka-san...? Wh-What did you see...?"

"**Don't play idiot with me! I saw you use ice to find your seal!"**

Tsukune sweat-dropped, relieved it wasn't as bad as he thought. It could have been a lot worse... he sighed, then said, "Moka-san, I wasn't trying to hide that. I didn't think it was that big of a deal."

A small tic mark appeared above her brow, twitching sporadically. Tsukune's eyes widened, wary of that tic mark. When it appeared, there was hell to pay, and usually for the person closest to her. Person in question being: him. **"Tsukune," **she forced through clenched teeth, the canines painfully visible to the world, **"Vampires do not use **_**ice.**_** Vampires cannot **_**use **_**ice. So tell me; how in the **_**hell**_** are you able to manipulate **_**ice**_**?!"**

Tsukune uttered a small 'eep' sound, fearful for his well-being, but otherwise kept his ground. Speaking of ground, he had to tread carefully. Inner Moka hadn't told him much about vampires except their history and some techniques, so he didn't know whether or not some actions were permissible or unacceptable. It was a dangerous thing not to keep up to date, but between studies, fights, and how busy he was kept in his free time by the combined might of the three girls, he didn't have a chance to get to trivial things such as vampire etiquette.

In hindsight, he should have told her about it nonetheless, regardless of whether he was a proper vampire or not. But, seeing as he didn't, he couldn't do anything about it but endure the upcoming onslaught. He tried to lighten the situation with a joke; "Come on, Moka-san! It's not like it's the most important thing right now, right? What with studies... and training... and... and..." His voice trailed off when he saw that it was doing nothing but making her angrier, and so he tried changing track.

"It's not a big deal, right? I'm sure you could do it too, if you drank some of Mizore's blood..." After he saw Inner Moka completely freeze, he stopped trying to talk his way out of it altogether. He had never seen her this way, and he decided to wait it out in case things became painfully dangerous.

Luckily for her, Tsukune wasn't very adept (yet) at all with reading her thoughts and emotions, especially her emotions. She had not froze in a bad way; she had, in fact, froze because she had never even considered consuming the blood of another youkai. She had always been told that humans and humans alone were the food that fueled a vampire's body, that their blood was the only thing truly capable of keeping the naturally parasitic race alive. Sure, every consequential living being possessed the life-sustaining liquid, but there was never the thought that others, too, could provide the same purpose with their own sustenance. Then again, human blood was the purest kind that vampires could acquire, technically; vampires were once human, after all. Human blood is the best because it is the ancestral source of a vampire's power and heritage, and without it, the race would degenerate into subhuman monsters incapable of rational thought or action.

This led to another thought; youkai possess the ability to assume human forms, and to do so, must have a trace of true humanity somewhere in the depths of their inhuman cores, right? So, in containing a nuance of humanity, a vampire could technically still feed from a fellow youkai and attain the same purpose. However, one had to account for the unnatural power within the blood as well; while not solely based in the blood as vampires are, youkai draw some of their supernatural power from their lifeblood, and ingesting it could have some... interesting side effects. What those are, exactly, remains to be seen. It seems to have manifested in Tsukune as an absorption, of sorts... strictly speaking, his digestive tract was unable to do anything with the supernatural energy other than utilize it for external use in its base form. Usually digested blood is converted directly to physical augmented power (the extreme strength that is unique to the powerful race), but in this case it was left untouched and channeled through his natural youki stores as...

Cryokinesis. Inner Moka's eyes widened, revelation finally dawning on them. Finally at ease from the puzzle that had plagued her for the past twenty four hours, she was more relaxed in this moment than she had been for a long, long time. Soon after, though (and a timid question about her well being from a fearful Tsukune), her ingrained vampire pride demanded that she test her newfound theory out... through force. Regaining her normal composure, Inner Moka stood erect, brushed a stray lock out of her face, and smiled her trademark cynical smile, eliciting another sweat drop from Tsukune.

"**Tsukune. I believe we should begin practicing. There has been enough talk for a training session already."**

**Author's Notes: **Man, I haven't written a chapter for this poor, neglected story for over a month. Ridiculous. I didn't even get my groove back until page 8 of this chapter. Even more ridiculous. Rest assured, though, I will now update more frequently as per my old schedule. I know I promised a triple-the-length chapter this time, too, but it simply wouldn't happen, for the reason above. Oh well, it'll come eventually. Until then, readers! Vincent.


	14. Discovery

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

"**All right, Tsukune. Enough talk; prepare yourself." **Inner Moka slid into a battle ready stance with the ease of thousands of times of use. Following the stance came a wave of her immense youki, and a beckon from the girl herself. Tsukune was mildly surprised; only mildly, because he wouldn't put a fight past her. Combat is something that Inner Moka truly seems to enjoy, and the stronger the opponent, the more she thrives. The whole ice manipulation deal only seems to have stoked her bloodlust even higher. To appease her (and to keep himself from three times the pain later on), he moved into his own battle stance, arms loose at the sides and feet wide open. It was one of the new ones Inner Moka had taught him herself; it was supposed to be for opponents who were stronger than he, and would help in defending himself. Supposed to, anyway.

None of that helped much, since as soon as she saw his compliance and readiness, she darted forth faster than any normal eye could see, sending kick after kick at his weak points. Tsukune's brain, not yet warmed up to the extreme intensity the vampiress was putting out, was only capable of commanding his body to dodge everything. If he did it correctly, he could glance aside some of the weaker kicks with his arms or feet, but these were not what he was accustomed to, and couldn't do anything safe with them other than keep out of their way.

"**Come on, Tsukune! You can do better than this! Show me your true power!" **With that, she continued the onslaught, pushing him to respond. If anything she stepped it up a notch, sending blows at quicker and quicker speeds. Now Tsukune was having trouble keeping up, and was running out of options. In the heat of the fight, he had abandoned any strategy that he might be able to use to overpower the vampiress, and she seemed to have noticed it. Having no strategy would be suicide by her reckoning, so she pushed him harder to make him realize that.With nothing else to give, his panicking mind drew upon every resource it had left; the result was a wave of unformed energy that did nothing but stop the assault for a mere two seconds. In this space, Inner Moka looked at him with an odd expression on her face before continuing.

The fight dragged on and on, with no further yield of snow fairy power, much to Inner Moka's frustration. From intense to underwhelming, she tried everything to evince some ice ability from him. Nothing worked, and Tsukune was winding down. He simply couldn't keep up with such a prolonged battle with the jaded woman; a vampire, and a strong one he may be, but Inner Moka was out of his league. Seeing that nothing would happen, she ceased the fight, and allowed Tsukune to catch his breath.

"**What's wrong, Tsukune? I saw you use a snow fairy's power yesterday. What happened?"**

Apparently she had wanted him to merely use his ice abilities from the get-go, he realized. A small sigh escaped his lips, and he said, "Moka-san, I didn't know you wanted me to use ice to fight. I don't know how to fight with ice." He didn't mention the fact that he felt as if he couldn't summon any more even if he tried, for fear of more pain.

"**Well, then Mizore will have to fix that."**

"What do I have to fix?"

"GAH! Mizore, where'd you come from?!" a rather unsettled Tsukune said.

"Over there," came her calm reply. A finger pointed over in the direction where Kurumu was idly looking about, an all too innocent look on her face. "Tsukune, you can use ice like I can. I saw you do it. Why can't you do it anymore?"

He stiffened, the question hitting him like a brick. Why can't he make more ice? He used to be able to before, hell, even on accident! So what is the problem? Inner Moka could tell he was having troubles, and poked in. **"Tsukune, maybe you can't make ice because you don't have enough blood in you?"**

He thought about that for a second, then blushed a deep crimson. She really didn't mean –

"Tsukune-kun? Are you saying you're thirsty?"

"W-What? I never... never said..."

Inner Moka shot a look at him, brooking no argument and stopping him in the same motion. After he was sufficiently cowed, she glanced over at Mizore to see her reaction. A simple flick of the snow woman's eyes in her direction told her all she needed to know.

"Tsukune-kun, if you needed to get something to drink, you could've just told me. I'd be happy to help." Tsukune's blush only deepened, unsure of how to approach the situation. He wasn't very comfortable with feeding from the eccentric yuki-onna, especially since she was so willing it was creepy. But, seeing as Inner Moka would probably hurt him if he didn't, and Mizore was completely fine with it, he saw no reason to continue objecting. After all, he was getting kind of thirsty, seeing as he hadn't had real blood in forever. The tomato juice and substitutes helped, but it wasn't as good as the real thing.

Mizore somehow was beside him, and close enough to put even more heat in his face. She bared her neck, getting right down to business as was her usual approach, and tempted Tsukune to succumb to his now baser instincts. His teeth unconsciously bared themselves, savoring the upcoming meal. He hesitantly leaned in, fangs inches from her frosty skin. She didn't have time for it, and pushed forward, making contact herself and breaking the skin against his sharp canines. Once the blood was free to Tsukune's sensitive nose, desire took hold and he drank. The smell wafted to Inner Moka's nose as well, making her eyes dilute in similar hunger. For a brief moment, she wondered what it would be like to consume some of the yuki-onna's blood, then tossed the idea, disgusted of feeding from the weird girl.

Tsukune could taste it... very faint, but every now and then in between small swallows he could taste small hints of the frost hidden within the liquid. He recalled someone saying something to him a while back, something about consuming monster blood and the power within it. Ah, yes – one of his soul fragments had told him that; it had just been so long ago he hadn't gotten around to telling anyone, much less remember it. Either way, once he had drank his fill, he could feel both the power of lifeblood entering his vampiric veins, as well as the innate cold underlying the salty taste.

Satisfied, and a smiling Mizore nodding at him, he stood erect and waited. A few seconds, and the fuel was ready to use. Tsukune raised a hand palm up experimentally, and, with a bit of concentration, formed a crude but tiny crystalline mirror on his fingertips. Smiling, he showed the figure to Inner Moka, who walked over and examined it for a few seconds, before flicking it away. Tsukune flinched when it broke with a small tinkle, but paid it no mind, for he knew what the vampiress wanted. Now that the secondary vampire's power was restored to some extent, Inner Moka's lust for battle craved a fight, and she would have it, no silliness involved.

"**All right, Tsukune. You've had your snack, now get ready."** With that warning, she moved into her ready stance once more, and bid Mizore return to her training with Kurumu.

"Nah, I want to watch this. See how Tsukune can fare with ice at his hand."

A slitted red eye darted to Mizore's doll like face, daring the snow woman to rebuke its owner further. However, Mizore said nothing more, and Inner Moka really couldn't find a legitimate reason for her to leave. All right, then. Spectators weren't normally allowed to watch, but no one else was present save for their group, so she let it pass. If anything, Inner Moka's pride savored the chance to show another youkai the true potential of the vampire race.

The vampiress was in the middle of choosing how to go about engaging Tsukune again when he surprised her and started the fight himself, running in fast to try and deliver an uppercut into her abdomen. Interesting... even though he had initiated the battle, he retained the need to be gentlemanly... Either way, a strike was futile, wherever aimed. She sidestepped the attacked and let him stumble from lack of opponent. She shook her head when he recovered to let him know of her disappointment, provoking him to awkwardly charge once again. This time it was a low centered kick, from the looks of how low his torso was. She easily dodged that too, and taunted him for such amateurish attacks. He was better than this, and they both knew it. It seems she would have to force him to fight like the proud monster he was. So be it.

Face hardening in preparation, Inner Moka flew forth with the fury of that which she – and her race – were known for. Before the poor guy could even react, she had planted a powerful lifting kick that launched him like a catapult does a boulder. The resulting landing had Tsukune crash rather painfully through a tree or two, giving him scratches but nothing serious. After that unexpectedly cold kick to the face, Tsukune's blood boiled, and he got to his feet with a fury of his own in his eye. Now a relatively fresh vampire, Tsukune couldn't take too many hits without the rage of the primal beast within every bloodsucker rising, driving him to attack the oppressor with everything he had. This is what happened here; rage awoken, Tsukune no longer held back, and did not charge straightforwardly as he had the other times. Instead, he used his superhuman strength to jump back into the circle, and landed with eyes ablaze.

While Inner Moka was not prone to giving in to her vampiric wrath often, as doing so was reckless and beneath her, she could see Tsukune had succumbed to his rage, albeit not as fully as she would have thought. She swore his self control had no bounds... admirable, but it could get him killed if he used it incorrectly. Well, that's what she was here for – to teach him how to defend himself, and for his sake she would do it. These were the thoughts ambling around in her head as he prepared some other futile attempt at landing a hit on her, and... he wasn't doing anything. While she broke out of her reverie, he was still standing in the exact spot where he had landed, except his eyes were closed. She couldn't see the reason behind this, as she wasn't exactly too fast for him to counteract (when she wasn't trying), so he wasn't utilizing his youki detector, and it was stupid for him to stand there in anger with his eyes closed doing nothing at all, so what was he doing, exactly? She debated hitting him, but thought better of it. It would be interesting to see what he had planned, if he had anything at all. She closed her eyes as well, if only to imitate him.

They shot right back open after her own detector had went on automatically. She looked up into the dull, reddish sky to witness the thousands upon thousands of tiny icicles dangling ten meters above her head. The huge mass was wobbling dangerously, and, to her amazement, more and more formed as she watched. So this was what he had planned, eh? A rainstorm of spikes ready to fall on their heads? She would stop them before they could be launched on her, even though the range was huge – the cloud of spikes seemed to stretch for a good twenty meters. It appeared he wanted to cover as large an area as possible, because there wasn't much depth to the cloud other than a few spikes per meter. Not wanting to let him unleash the barrage any time soon, she darted forward to knock him off balance, but she didn't expect him to fade away as soon as her palm hit the boy. An after-image...? Damn, but he was fast. Apparently he was still monitoring her with his radar, even though he was preparing that massive attack... Regardless of whether or not he failed to use it on her, his ice manipulation powers were admirable. She'd have to reward him for it sometime later, for the accomplishment if nothing else. Now, where to find the real Tsukune...

She whipped her head over her shoulder to witness the statuesque Tsukune sitting cross-legged in a tree, seemingly still adding icicles to his rainstorm of spikes. She shook her head once again, surprised he would be so adamant about finishing the venture. Oh well; she would have to teach him to use variety as well. She ran to the tree he was sitting in, and kicked its trunk to shreds, forcing him to open his eyes and leap off the branch before the oak fell. Tsukune rolled to his knees, and to her surprise, resumed his previous position. A vein pulsed in her head in response; who did he think he was to stop in the middle of combat to sit down for whatever reason? No matter – she'd put him in his place soon enough. Silently, and with as minimal youki output as possible, she sneaked closer to him to put a foot in his ear for his insolence. To her surprise (and chagrin), Tsukune's head exploded in a shower of ice shards, and the crystalline body fell to the ground to melt. An ice clone, then. However pissed off this little trick made her, she was proud of him to see that he had relative proficiency over his abilities, however badly she wanted to kill him for making her fall for such a simple trick. Unless Mizore had told him how to do that... but she doubted it. They didn't speak to each other enough for that. Did they...?

Tsukune saw his opening while she fumed over his little act of subterfuge, and silently moved in to retaliate for that painful kick he received earlier. Calmer now, but still boiling, he had worked painstakingly to prepare that ceiling of ice above them, and was a little fatigued between maintaining them and evading Inner Moka at the same time. He could see that it was good practice for keeping tabs on anything and everything in a battle, but it was tiring. He had to toss those thoughts, though – he wasn't far from the wary vampiress, and he could tell she was looking for him. He had to be careful, because he didn't know the full extent of her abilities, and hopefully wouldn't have to to be beat her. He knew it was a longshot in the first place, and that it would take months of training, but he believed he could become as strong as her someday.

But not by slipping up; a small crack whistled through the air, making everyone's ears prick up. A brief moment of stillness fell over the group, and tensions wound tighter. Tsukune didn't want to continue movement for fear of her finding him, but if he didn't she might be on him before he could even react, as she did before. If he wanted to make use of that curtain of ice he made, he couldn't afford to be knocked further away from it. He would be hard pressed to do that, though; Inner Moka had disappeared in the blink of an eye, presumably to take him down when he least expected it. Tsukune continued to inch forward quietly from the edge of the forest back to the clearing, in hopes of evading her even though he knew a surprise attack was inevitable. Something moved infinitesimally out of the corner of his eye, making him whip his head in the direction of the disturbance and gather his power. To his heart's relief, it was only Mizore, sitting on a log and swinging her feet a few meters away. She was still watching the skirmish, apparently, which was fine by him as long as he didn't make a fool of himself. And he didn't do so, yet... did he? Her face lit up a bit when she saw him watching her and twiddled her fingers at him in a wave. A second later, though, her smile dropped and her eyes lifted a tiny bit above him. Tsukune wondered what she was looking at, when the trained warrior part of his brain told him of a possible enemy behind him.

"Tsukune, don't!" yelled a fearful Kurumu. "It's just me!" Tsukune had whipped around in a 180 faster than when he looked at Mizore with a long dagger of ice ready to be launched at a potential assailant. The startled succubus was merely watching them too, as she had had nothing to do when Mizore decided to stop practicing with her. They weren't getting very far to begin with... but it made for a nice view when Inner Moka and Tsukune really went at it.

Tsukune sighed, and released the ice back into the surrounding air as water vapor. They would have to stop butting in like that, it really wasn't healthy for –

"**You're so cute when you're paranoid, Tsukune," **Inner Moka whispered into his ear. Tsukune went completely rigid (a healthy reaction, in her opinion), anticipating what she might do. He had wanted to get back to the clearing, and it seems the woman was intent on helping him with that. With her foot. A well placed kick in the hindquarters sent him flying far into the clearing once more, where the ceiling of icicles dangled ominously. Quite a few of the floating stalactites fell from their perch, breaking harmlessly on the dirt below. Inner Moka noted this, and attributed it to his loss of concentration when he took the hit. It was surprising that more of them hadn't fallen, and was a testament to their training over the month. However pesky he got, the boy learned quick if he put his mind to it.

Tsukune dragged himself up off the ground, wary of the encroaching danger that was the vampiress walking toward him. He needed to think of a plan to release the trap and ensure she'd be immobile enough to be affected. He didn't get much time to ponder how, because when she noted he wasn't going to retaliate anytime soon, she ran to him and put another kick in his chest, sending him skidding across the ground and more icicles falling to their demise.

Right then, Tsukune discovered an ingenious way he knew he could capture her that would not fail. Smiling to himself, he staggered to his feet once more, waited for his spine to settle back correctly, and looked about for the regal ayashi, who had vanished once again.

Tsukune couldn't allow the vampiress to get so close to him again, not with that kind of power behind the kicks she put out. He knew she was holding back and could feel it, but he also knew if she used her full strength she could kill him, vampire or not. He decided to try a trick he had thought about using but hadn't had much practice for; it's pretty easy to distinguish when a vampire uses one of their specific abilities, such as hiding for healing, charging for brute force, and closing their eyes for rooting out opponents. Tsukune thought the last one was a bit too noticeable, and had taken the habit of clearing his mind of all thought and imagery input to try and utilize his youki radar without telling everyone in the world he was using it with his body language. It wasn't easy, but it would be beneficial both for combat and the multi-tasking ability. He let out a breath and tried it; no thoughts, not about Mizore or Kurumu, not about Inner Moka or the day he had spent with her yesterday, or even the great times all four of them had spent together during school. After a couple of seconds of concentration, his mind was clear and his radar was functioning (he could detect Mizore and Kurumu still over in the treeline). He opened his eyes, and although he lost the visual image of the youki signatures, he could still feel them being given off... did that mean he succeeded? He looked in their direction to see if he could pinpoint their location... there. Furthest tree in the front, to the left, upper branch. Signature seemed familiar with... Mizore's. Yup . He could see a bit of her purple stocking through the leaves. It worked! He could visibly detect youki signatures! He looked around to see if he could spot Inner Moka's... Mizore's was a kind of bluish white light, like looking at a fluorescent lamp with the shade covering it. Maybe Moka's was a more reddish color...

Tsukune's eyes widened as he spotted the dark, purplish, and evil-looking wave coming from his left, behind a few of the trees over there. Is that... really what her aura looks like in reality...? It was definitely not a docile energy; it looked like a dark apple irradiating a wave of deep violet, and gave off the feeling of insinuating evil and distrust. Yet this impression contrasted heavily with what he knew of the vampiress; she were not visibly evil, oppressive every now and then but that was just her personality. He knew she didn't do anything evil, and certainly wasn't a reminder of the vampire stories he had been told about as a child...

Seeing the disturbing aura emanating from the girl he had come to accept as one of the most important people in his life, he was prompted almost subconsciously to attempt to look at his own aura. Tsukune brought forth his own arms and splayed his fingers, trying to see the same light that surrounded both of his ayashi friends. He kept peering at his skin, but no abnormal colors would make themselves known to his prying eyes. He strained and strained, trying his best to repeat what had been done before on himself, but no color of any type would make itself known to him. He brought his arms closer to his eyes, inspecting the pores of the now muscular forearms for any sign of latent energy. After a minute or two of straining, he gave up and dropped his arms, believing the attempt to be futile. But, as his left arm fell slower to his side, he thought he caught a glimpse of the darkest black ambient around the skin of his arm. Tsukune's eyes widened, and thought about what that may mean – Mizore's blue, Moka's evil-looking purple... the only color darker than purple was black...

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks, sending him to his knees. Black meant the purest kind of evil, merciless and intent on killing anything and everything in its path. He had always thought of himself of a nice person, never antagonizing anyone – so why did the blackest of black surround his very skin? He did not think he was evil; hell, he certainly didn't _look _evil! So why...?

Inner Moka darted from her hiding spot and went for the kill, only to pause and witness Tsukune on his knees in the middle of the clearing. Soon after, the curtain of icicles he had so painstakingly maintained fell and broke harmlessly on the earth between them, a thousand tinkling sounds ringing out throughout the dead forest. She knew something was wrong when she saw him helplessly kneeling on the ground; she became worried when his trap was apparently let go for no reason, meaning he had stopped the fight or had lost concentration on the move. The former was fine, she could reprimand him for that; the latter meant something was definitely askew, with him or with something dear to him. She quickly made her way to his side, but carefully as to not alert him into reacting instinctually (vampires were defensive creatures, and did not take well to being snuck up on).

"**Tsukune...?" **came her probing question, almost necessary when checking on someone. All she heard was Kurumu and Mizore running up to see what was wrong, or if he had been seriously hurt. **"Tsukune, what is it?"**

Inaudible mumbling came from the kneeling man, so quiet not even a siren would have been able to detect it. Inner Moka asked him what he said, and only further mumbling came from him. She reached to put a hand on his shoulder-

"NO! Stay away from me!" he shouted viciously. The violence in the action made her blood boil, but she quelled it when she saw his eyes – they were completely red, and not a shred of decency was to be found in them. All she saw was a carnal desire to get away... and feed. Why he wanted to do so right at this minute was out of her reasoning, but she saw that he was nearly insane with the need to get away and keep her, Mizore, and Kurumu away from himself. Looking at his entire profile, she could see some of the black tattoos creeping up over his shoulders, marking the return of the monstrous being that had torn apart Moburu and had defeated a werewolf.

"**Tsukune, stop this! Right now!"** she shouted. Her voice made his head snap slightly away, as if the sound hurt him.

"Tsukune? What's going on?" came Mizore's worried call. She and Kurumu were now beside Inner Moka, staring at the irate man in question who was fuming uncontrollably with more signs of the monster within emerging. The tattoos had now crept up his neck (and over his ribs, but only Kurumu envisioned that) and his hair had taken on the hue of the purest white snow, no longer silver like the vampire's signature trait.

Kurumu gasped when she arrived, recognizing the transformation for what it truly was. Astonishingly, Tsukune still retained his rationality until the point where he had started backing up, step by step. She couldn't tell if he recognized any of their distressed calls to him, but he did seem to be backing up faster after hearing them. Inner Moka, deciding she had had enough, marched forward to retrieve the inane boy acting out. However, seeing her advance, Tsukune turned and bolted before the innate rage could completely consume him, sprinting as hard and fast as he could in a straight beeline for the opposite direction of any nearby civilization. He had at least that much coherent thought to stay away from everybody else. But all of his other thoughts were obliterated, replaced by confusion, hurt, and ever-present anger; aimed at himself, at his friends, at his family, even at the school itself for shaping him into the animal he had now become. Kurumu looked at the space he had occupied a second ago forlornly, sad to see him go at first, then furious instantly after for bolting for absolutely no reason.

"HEY! Get back here, Tsukune!" she shouted, but to no avail. He was gone.

Mizore looked about, as if confused about what had just happened. There wasn't much emotion on her face, as per usual, but for this instance it showed a noticeable deal of concern. She looked over her shoulder at the melting ice that was meant for Inner Moka, then back at said girl and Kurumu. She didn't know exactly why he had gone off like that, but she would track him down (if not for his own good, then for herself and the others) and find him.

Kurumu fumed for a bit longer, but she knew yelling at trees wouldn't bring him back, so she released her true form and took to the air in an effort to find him. As she flew off, Inner Moka watched both this and Mizore's musing apathetically, only wanting to find the nonsensical boy and beat some sense into him for running off. She turned in the direction of the school and went to the one person who could locate him if he truly meant to hide from the trio.

X-X

Kurumu couldn't find him! She had flown all over the school grounds and the surrounding area, even stopping to search in the abandoned buildings scattered around, but there was no sign of him anywhere! It had been about half an hour, and her shoulders were getting tired of flapping her wings incessantly. She gave up, thinking he'd be back soon (or at least strong enough to not die while out in the wilderness – even though there weren't any wildlife in the realm). Returning to the dorms, she landed just before the fork leading to either one and looked around, hoping to see Mizore somewhere. She knew the snow maiden had ventured off in hopes of finding the stray ayashi herself, but Kurumu hadn't seen her while flying overhead. She assumed Mizore was just doing her stalker thing and wasn't easily seen with all the trees around. With nothing better to do (there was no way in hell she was doing homework), she started pacing back and forth to wait for someone – or something – to meet up with her.

Inner Moka didn't think leaving the seal off for hours for more than a few days was a good idea, but this was necessary. Her timid other self simply wouldn't have the audacity to do what she planned, and would probably just amble about as the other two were out in the forest. Regardless, she waited outside the huge oak doors leading to the headmaster's inner sanctum (more commonly called his office). There was nothing wrong with visiting the headmaster, nor was there any reason to fear the man, but she respected his power as a Dark Lord and would act appropriately – well, mostly, seeing as she was merely leaning against the wall in wait for the right time.

Passerby would stare at the immobile vampiress as if she were a new decoration or a giant blue frog, and some would stare a little longer to appreciate her well-toned legs, but the creepy feeling she gave off kept most of them a good and respectful distance away.

"**Come in, Akashiya-kun. I've been expecting you,"** came the headmaster's creepy voice from behind the doors. He was about to say something to stop her from damaging the doors – they were pretty expensive, and antique – but she nevertheless slammed them against their hinges and walked straight down the path leading to his desk. Irate, and in no mood for games, Inner Moka opened her mouth to demand his assistance.

"**Silence, girl." **She stopped short, unaccustomed to being talked down to in such a manner. She remembered her etiquette, and took a small bow before beginning to address him once again.

"**I believe I said **_**silence. **_**I demand respect from all my students, no matter who they are. Now, tell me – appropriately – what you seek, child."**

Inner Moka's fury was only given more fuel with the rather curt statement, but she quelled it. Anger would not help her here. **"Headmaster, a... an acquaintance of mine has gone off recently." **She noticed his smirk, and could tell he was repressing a chuckle, but she went on; **"He is out of his mind, possibly dangerous, and needs to be brought back. Seeing as I can't do this, I am asking you to help me locate him."**

"**Ah, so young Aono has ran off, has he?" **Inner Moka's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, surprised he already knew about his disappearance. Apparently the old man knew more than he let on – she wondered how much he truly knew, but stopped when the hooded man spoke again. **"Yes, Akashiya-kun, I know about your friend, and I know he has... a little problem concerning his anger. I also know that the student named Kobayashi Moburu has attacked him on two occasions, which certainly didn't help with his situation. You see, Moka, I wanted to discover what happens when a human is transformed into a vampire, and seeing as you provided the experiment's materials right here, I thought nothing of stopping it. Oh yes, I know Tsukune was once human, too. Funny, isn't it? Oh well, I should probably bring him back. He might hurt himself if let loose for too long. You are dismissed, child."**

Struck dumbfounded, Inner Moka stared at the smiling, hooded man and wondered what he was getting at. Just how much did he _know?_ Shaking her head, she went to leave, but cast a glance over her shoulder to consider the Dark Lord a bit more. Incredible, but ever-so annoying. A horrible combination, in her opinion. She was glad to be done with the man, and wanted nothing more than to leave and forget the whole thing, and see Tsukune come back safely.

As she was leaving Mikogami's office, she stopped short to consider that last thought, eyes widening slightly as they have been so many times nowadays. Just what did _she _mean by considering his safety? He was a full-fledged vampire, for crying out loud; it's not like he couldn't survive in the wild for six hours or so. Could he?

Disgusted with herself for actually conceiving the thought of worrying about him, Inner Moka went back to her dorm and returned the seal to its proper place. She would leave such petty feelings to her more compassionate self.

Mizore was usually exceptionally talented at finding people of interest to her, especially when they were well-hidden, but this certain guy was proving tiresome to the patient yuki-onna. Picking people out of the crowd was simple enough, because they were all humanoid and was usually in plain sight; this is like picking a stick out of a room full of hay. He would be impossible to miss, if she were looking in the right spot. However, having only covered a quarter of the total reasonable search area so far, she didn't think she'd find him anytime soon. Mizore wanted more than anything to get him home and help him deal with whatever had happened to get him so riled up, but she couldn't do that with no Tsukune present to comfort. Damn it, where was he hiding? Calling forth her superhuman patience once more, she continued her meticulous search through the woods that seemed determined to hide her most cared friend from her.

Even pacing was boring! Kurumu couldn't handle standing here doing nothing while everyone else at least tried to bring him back, however futilely; if she couldn't see him from the air in a forest with no leaves, he didn't want to be found.

_Snap._

Kurumu's ears pricked, picking up the noise in the quiet afternoon day with ease. Heart beginning to race, she looked about inconspicuously, trying to figure out where the sound came from. Seeing nothing, she searched more obviously, but still found nothing. Suddenly she felt that someone was standing behind her, and whipped around – to find no one there.

"Psst, Kurumu, over here!" whispered a voice, making Kurumu turn back around once again. Her face lit up instantaneously when she saw who it was.

"Tsukune!" She practically flew the distance between them, crushing him with one of her now-usual full body hugs. "Where have you been?" she asked after letting him go (after a solid minute).

She had just noticed that Tsukune's neck still bore the ominously black tattoos over his neck, and his eyes were still completely red. Apparently he was not yet over what had set him off, but the other features had receded. Maybe he had regained some composure over the time he's been gone. After all, an hour could do wonders for a man whose heart was as big as his resolve.

"Kurumu..." he started. He could not make eye contact with her. He had run away to save them the sight of his despair, but after considering the situation, he had realized over the hour or so he had been gone that Kurumu was the best option for helping him contemplate the question he had been asking himself. She had noticed his difficulty in this:

"Tsukune, what is it?"

"Kurumu, am I an evil person?"

**Author's Notes: **Yaay I finished this chapter with most of my writing skill back! I'm not a complete failure! Well, this is all I can give at the moment, and I apologize if the plot's taking a bit to materialize, but I assure you I have it under control :) Until next time! Vincent.


	15. Turning Point

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

"Kurumu-san, am I an evil person?"

The succubus' face stopped working for a few seconds, and for a moment Tsukune honestly feared her response. However, her reaction wasn't the one he expected.

"Tsukune-kun, are you out of your mind? What kind of silly question is that?" After she managed to get those words out, she exploded into a fit of laughter that was totally characteristic yet still so disturbing to him – he had been contemplating the question himself for a solid hour, and here was his friend, laughing so hard she could barely breathe! At the frankness of it all, Tsukune was beginning to feel more and more like an idiot... but he couldn't help but smile. The girl's laughter was contagious.

"What would make you think you were an evil person, Tsukune-kun? You've never done any wrong to anybody!"

A small smirk passed over his face before a melancholic expression settled there more permanently. The question was not what he _had _done, it was what he _could _do. He was a vampire, and certainly not a weak one at that. He fed off the living essence of other organisms – such parasitism surely could not be considered 'good' in any aspect. He didn't expect Kurumu to understand; he was a dangerous predator, but he still retained some portion of his former human self. While that kept him apart from a mindless animal, he was still murderous at his very core. Especially if some of the tales he had heard of in his youth had any truth to them. Of course, he didn't fully understand the entirety of the vampire history, but the ends did not justify the means, not in this case.

The point was, he was a vampire, and therefore inherently evil. The only reason Kurumu thought otherwise, he mused, was because he hadn't exhibited any behavior that would lead to her belief of the contrary. He hadn't fed from a human source, he hadn't killed anybody (yet), and he hadn't done anything warranting the title of 'villain.' Yet still it haunted him.

"Kurumu-san, look at the markings on my shoulders. They do not look natural, do they? They are a symbol of the evil inside me, and I don't know if I can fully control it... please, you must understand..."

He looked away, unsure of how to appropriately convey the dire message that was burning in his heart and mind. He saw Kurumu raise a hand to his face out of the edge of his vision, but he didn't stop her. He understood that it was all she could do at the moment to comfort him, if nothing else. Her touch, however, was not reassuring. If anything, it only served to reaffirm the thought of his impurity; she was so fair, and kind and compassionate. He had been the same... as a human. He couldn't use those to negate the darkness that was his core. He did not deserve to have someone like Kurumu as a friend – in fact, he didn't deserve any of them as a friend. What he needed to do was get away from everyone else so he couldn't hurt anyone in the future.

He gently removed the hand from his face, and turned away. He could sense her disapproval, but he would continue anyway, for the betterment of the group. As he walked away, slowly, he could feel the amethyst eyes boring into his back, but he ignored it. Other thoughts were forcibly shoved aside, including any about Moka.

Meanwhile, Moka was having a fit.

She was gone for all of a day, and her other self managed to push him away somehow. How? She never remembered much from the times where she's 'asleep,' but she caught bits and pieces, as if she really were dreaming. She remembered the fight, and that was pretty much expected, but the transition from fight to flight was a little more blurry. She couldn't make the connection between him acting normal one minute and insane the next; just as she could remember the fight, she knew about the interaction with the headmaster, but she didn't know what exactly had gone on. Moka told herself she would have to fix this herself, if her counterpart wouldn't; considering she had left Tsukune's fate in the hands of a creepy old man with more knowledge than sanity, she thought it would be best to go after him. She knew him better than any of them, and she believed he would listen to her a bit better, too... She saw the way he looked at her sometimes, and wondered what was going on behind those chocolate/ruby eyes... Sometimes it would seem as if he were completely aloof, not even caring about anyone near him, and then he would appear as if the whole academy were his child and he needed to care for all of them. It was kind of odd, really... but the times he cared, he became really sweet, and it might have been the very thing that drew them to him. Look at Mizore; she had been almost suicidal before Tsukune came along and offered his ear and his warmth. Kurumu was drawn in like a moth to a low burning flame, except she wasn't killed by this one; in fact, she had more or less been transformed as a person, changed into someone who was better than her previous self. Not many students have not met Tsukune Aono by this point, if only for jealousy or some other reason; but those who came to him innocently noticed his unnaturally kind personality and gentleness. Of course, there are those who despise him for it, but that was just the natural balance of things, and was to be expected.

Moka needed to find him before he got himself in trouble, or worse, into a position where he couldn't wriggle out of in a hurry. She set off in the direction of the cliffs to check there first; she wouldn't be surprised if he went there, seeing as Mizore still often frequented the area. Maybe he would at least come to his senses after a few words.

Tsukune didn't know it, but Moka did indeed know him better than he thought – true to form, the angsty vampire had walked straight to the cliffs were Mizore liked to hang out, if only to look at the ocean that was most visible there. Alas, he found no solace, for the oddly colored waves disturbed him more than they soothed him; the unnatural water only served as a reminder that he was no longer human, that he was something different – and possibly dangerous. Who was he kidding? He _was_ dangerous! He had taken down a monster capable of tearing apart a forest with his bare hands, and dismantled a werewolf who was capable of chasing down even the fastest being! Tsukune was becoming formidable, and he feared what would happen if he let his new power go to his head.

His thoughts were interrupted when a presence entered the range of his youki radar. It had activated almost automatically when he stopped using his sight, as he was just staring blankly out at the crashing waves by this point. The energy was familiar, but not by much, and the interruption sparked a miniature adrenaline rush in the vampire. However, he didn't care much about his safety either, so he didn't make any effort to release his power or address the interloper.

Moburu witnessed the boy standing near the cliffs, apparently musing over something. He knew he was detected because of the involuntary stiffening that he felt, but Moburu saw no other indication of retaliation. _Good._ He wanted to talk to him, not fight him, although that would have been pleasurable, considering he had gotten his ass handed to him by the kid twice already. He was almost feeling like a character named Vegeta from an old manga he had read a few decades earlier, and the feeling was horrible. So, in realizing this, he thought he would abandon the job and try to figure out what exactly was going on, and at least try to comfort the kid. It was obviously all new to him, otherwise he wouldn't have been beaten so easily the first time. Of course, it felt weird trying not to kill him, but it was also weird to watch the kid so miserable.

Making his way over to the cliff edge where the kid stood, he inconspicuously peered around, scoping out the area for any signs of danger. It was more habit than conscious decision, but it was necessary when his disguises on previous jobs weren't the greatest. For some reason, his neck was getting a little hot under the leather collar – he realized he was nervous, and for what reason? That the younger man before him was somehow stronger? That may be true, but it was no reason to make himself feel like a wimp. He was strong, too, dammit! All of this was nonsense, and Moburu thought of turning around and leaving the over dramatic sap to wallow in his self pity alone. The fact that he knew that Tsukune knew he was coming and was tensed appropriately helped the notion. Just get on with it!

Finally he ended up by Tsukune's right, slightly behind him and unsure of what to do. The whole situation was off, but the oddest part came when he called his name without even turning to face him. It was as if he knew just by Moburu's presence. He asked him about it.

"I've discovered I can sense latent youki with my sight alone, and now I know what it looks like, I know what it feels like, too. Before all of it was the same. The differences are infinitesimally small, but they're still there."

Moburu stiffened, then heaved a big sigh. Of course he'd be able to. He knew most vampires were capable of doing it, but not many had actually tried in the couple of centuries after figuring out how – meaning, it wasn't very useful considering all it did was add emotion to energy, and was thus dropped by the then more bloodthirsty race. Besides, the blind radar had a longer range. Must've picked it up on accident, which didn't surprise him. Now, back to why exactly he had gone off like a loon.

"Why are you here, boy?"

Tsukune once again only turned his head around enough to know he acknowledged the statement, but said nothing. Moburu waited, not about to leave without an answer. Tsukune felt that, and sighed before saying, "I accidentally viewed my own aura. What I saw wasn't too pretty. That's all."

Well, wasn't he specific? Fine then, be an emotional punk. Moburu had had enough. Turning to go, he looked back at the erect figure still standing on the cliff edge, and wondered if it wouldn't be a mercy to just push him off and leave him to gravity's jurisdiction. Then he wondered if he could actually survive the fall, and thought better of it. Drowning to death in your own weakness wasn't exactly a merciful death. Oh well.

"Wait, please." It was a soft command, and Moburu stopped not because he wanted to but because he felt it would only hurt the boy more if he ignored the request. Besides, it might be interesting for him to finally breach the shell the boy made.

He waited a bit longer, but it took the kid a while to speak. "When I see auras now, they each have a distinct color that matches their personalities. My friend Mizore's was an icy blue to match her resigned persona, and my other friend's was a purplish color to fit her authoritative and powerful attitude. But mine? Oh, you would expect mine to be a nice green or at least whitish in some regard; but no, what I saw was completely black, malicious and evil. I've never done any wrong! So why would I see such darkness in me? I fled because I didn't want that darkness to come to the surface... I didn't want to hurt my friends..."

"You do know you hurt them terribly just by leaving, right?"

Tsukune's eyes widened, thinking of the repercussions of abandoning them without explaining. He imagined what Kurumu and Mizore went through, then replayed his conversation with the former in a new light. He shuddered when he thought of what Inner Moka might have done. He turned to the rather intimidating man, but held no contempt nor fear. All he could think of was amending his mistake. Thinking further, he realized he had been a real jackass and a fool, and face-palmed. Tsukune put a wave in the man's direction before jogging back to where he came.

"Hey kid!" Tsukune turned, curious, but anxious to go. "Later, will you tell me what exactly you are? I've never met someone like you in all my years." Tsukune nodded a quick acquiescence before heading off again.

X-X

The headmaster could tell exactly where each and every one of his students were while on campus grounds, at any time. While it was useful for detecting intruders, he didn't use it much for anything other than peeping in on unassuming students. It was a relatively new barrier technique he had picked up from Fuhai a couple of decades earlier – the old man had started getting paranoid, and didn't like the idea of intruders, so here they were. Mikogami wanted it as a useful tool and as a means of sport, but that was beside the point. Right now the circular interface glowing from a stone pedestal embedded in the side of one of his office walls was telling him the boy and the imposter were near the cliffs, probably talking about something since their markers weren't flashing. The detail of the radar was good enough that he could tell they were leaving, now, but it wasn't good enough to see what their intentions were.

He guessed he would either have to send some employees to retrieve them both or accompany them back personally. He felt that the former would be easier, but it wouldn't be very effective for what he was trying to accomplish. Mainly – keeping all of his students safe (for the most part). He couldn't have them killing each other openly and without cause. The headmaster heaved a tired old man's sigh and resigned himself to fetching the imbeciles. If he didn't get them himself, one or the other would most probably die within 48 hours. Of that he was certain; either Tsukune's or Moburu's choices would leave one of them dead without well-meaning assistance. He made preparations to leave, sealing all of his more fragile contraptions and reducing power usage. When he built the place, he managed to create a means of harnessing the latent youki in the air given off by all monsters to power his academy, and has proved useful in functions other than mere air conditioning. But enough of that; if he tarried too long, he would lose track of one of them.

It always hurt his old bones to do menial tasks himself these days, regardless of his miraculous healing abilities, which confused him to no end. Here he was, a Dark Lord, and he was still suffering from normal human ailments. Well, make that ailment. Nothing else bothered him other than the stench of rotten people, but that wasn't in his control. Kind of weird, actually, but it was a necessary evil. Helped to root out unruly employees. Luckily the bone thing was more of an annoyance and not a real problem, but that didn't matter much considering how far he had to walk to get the morons. If he had tried using the previously built translocation system that he uses to frequently get around the campus grounds, he would be construed as trying to push his will (more than normal, that is). Mikogami heaved another sigh, resigned to his poor situation. It had been so long since he had actually gone on adventures like he had when he, Issa, and Touhou were still good friends... Ah, he was close. Tsukune, oddly, was still standing on the cliffs like the teenage emotional fool he was, and Moburu was heading back to... he concentrated. The academy's library? Interesting... he might have to look into that.

Casting an ephemeral glance at the (shaking?) boy, he tossed a box at him and left to get the imposter and stop him from doing whatever it is that he's doing. The box had something that would soothe his conscience, but no item could abate whatever the other one was doing. Another sigh escaped him, albeit quietly so it wouldn't alert Tsukune, and Mikogami headed off in the direction Moburu had taken.

X-X

Tsukune felt more than heard something hit the ground and roll toward him, not too far behind his location. In his tumult, he barely noticed the event, but curiosity compelled him to figure out what it was. Turning around, he saw it was nothing more than a small wooden box, clean and completely out of place in the forest. He made sure there was nothing dangerous about it before picking it up – there was no telling who or what would want to leave him a box, and it paid to be careful in the youkai realm. Tsukune lifted the lid slowly and carefully, peering under it to try and see what was inside. Finally convinced it wasn't going to instantaneously combust or something, he fully opened it and saw a tiny lens shaped emerald and a tube side by side. The tube was sectioned, with equal length circles each smaller than the next inside each other. There was a hole in the biggest one, presumably for a focus of some sort. Further examination revealed it was an old fashioned looking glass, with a lens for each end. The emerald actually fit inside the hole in the front, lending a green hue to the sight. It struck him as odd that an emerald would be chosen for a looking glass – the green hue might be interesting to see things in a new way, but other than that it was just a novelty. Still, it was a nice gift, whomever had decided to give to him.

Fiddling with it some more, he took the emerald focus out and looked around. Cool, but not awesome. When he turned to the ocean, it only became more vibrantly red. Tsukune put the focus back in to see if anything was different, and caught a surprise – through the green, he could make out little striations in the air, and full swirls above the water. That was a neat effect... on a whim, he swung the glass over to the academy's direction, and found a whole maelstrom of whorls and patterns swirling above the school ground. That was new... what exactly was this looking glass made of? He checked the box again, searching all of the sides for a clue. What he found was a little insignia of an eye engraved on the bottom of the box, and the initials T.M. below it. He didn't know any T.M., or why this person would want to give him a magic looking glass, but nothing ever made any sense in this place.

Pocketing the weird object, Tsukune decided he ought to at least pay a visit to Moka, since he never even said goodbye to her more soft-spoken side. Thinking back on it, that was really unfair to her, but the past couldn't be changed.

Speaking of Moka, the girl in question had just passed some shady looking figure heading in the direction of the academy, probably some employee doing dastardly things in the forest. She never knew what all the staff really did, because the only employees she's ever seen are the teachers perusing the halls, but those were normal and expected. Despite the apparent lack of maintenance people, the school still managed to keep its pristine interior decorating, and its natural haunted look on the outside. Moka noticed her mind was wandering and focused back on finding Tsukune before he did something stupid. He was lovable alright, but by this point said stupid thing was almost bound to happen. One prominent reminder was his rather embarrassing disaster a few days after the semester had started...

_The year had rolled on with a painfully average start, and Moka and Tsukune were just settled into their respective dorms. Classes had officially started, and the first-day pressure had gotten to Tsukune more easily than he had expected. He was looking around his first period classroom with unease, and was quite aware of the fact that not a few of them looked like they were ready to gnaw on his bones. To say he was a bit creeped out was a huge understatement, but any sudden movements might attract unwanted attention. When Nekonome-sensei had started rambling on about monsters, he thought it was now all a huge joke prepared especially for him – none of the other students seemed surprised in the least! He had been victim of pranks before, but none like this. Unnerved and unsure of what to do, Tsukune surreptitiously looked about once again, trying to see if _anyone_ was at least confused. No one was, but Moka, the girl he had met earlier, was looking at him oddly. A few more minutes, and he reached critical mass; he couldn't take this anymore! Tsukune rush-gathered his bag and scrambled out of the desk, bolting toward the door. He didn't expect the door to meet him too, though, and was knocked flat on his back when it opened to reveal another teacher glaring down on him. Stuttering and fearing for his life, Tsukune ducked right under the teacher's legs and dashed off down the hall with his things. Moka felt responsible for the fool, and ran off to try to calm him down._

The whole ordeal was hilarious to the other students, and silly to Moka, but she understood why he had been so freaked out. It's a good thing, in that sense, that he was transformed, then, because it makes things so much easier if he doesn't run off like a rabbit every time someone who looks intimidating comes up to him. Looking back on things, though, she realized he had grown quite a lot in the short time he'd been here so far, and it was neat. Made her wonder why the hell he ran off like this, but then again she would never understand how guys function either. By this point she was almost at the cliff, and could sense his latent energy signature heading back toward the academy. Heading back already, then? Well, at least he didn't do anything foolish (she hoped). She started jogging to catch up to him, and tried to not imagine him hurt or emotional or both.

_Idiot, _Mizore thought. She had noticed Moka walking off in the direction of the cliffs, and, seeing it unusual, thought it absolutely necessary to stalk her till she got there. She had no qualms with stalking her closest friends, especially the naïve ones; if anything, it made the task more enjoyable. Mizore had followed her from the trees, and from there had realized she was going directly to the spot where Mizore herself liked to be alone. The notion irked her for some reason, but she couldn't put a finger on why. Either way, she soon saw Tsukune walking in the opposite direction, and felt compelled to abandon Moka in pursuit of a much more appealing target. Her pounding heart didn't help matters, and she wanted to come out of the shadows to talk to him more than once. Why couldn't she just talk to him? She knew he liked her, because of his attention he gave her that day so long ago, but for some reason, she felt like it wasn't right nor a good idea. Thus, she remained in the trees, following him wherever he went. Mizore figured it was for the best after awhile; she was used to this, and it was much safer than the alternative.

Once Tsukune had arrived back at the academy campus, he turned in the direction of the headmaster's office and continued on that way. Mizore still kept pace, finding no difficulty in the school grounds. Trees, bushes, trash cans, whatever; wherever there was a place to hide, she could find it with ease. The odd part was he turned away from the administrative building after within a few meters of it and instead headed back to the dorms. _What are you up to, Tsukune-kun? _Apparently he had decided to go a different path, but toward where she did not know. Following further into the woods surrounding the path, Mizore kept a careful watch on her favorite stalkee and only lost sight of him once when he went around a particularly sharp bend. Once at the dual building entrance, he drew a tube-like thing from his pocket and examined it for a few moments, much to Mizore's curiosity. It piqued her inquisitive nature more when he brought it to his eye and looked about, but it peaked when the gem on the underside of his bracer glowed when he cast it in her direction. That was certainly interesting... and even more so when he seemed to look directly at her. Something was suspicious when he cocked his head... and started walking straight towards her. Habit kept her from revealing her hiding spot behind a rather small bush, but still he kept toward her. Her brow narrowed in confusion, but kept her cool as Tsukune found her out.

"How'd you find me, Tsukune-kun?"

"Well... you see... this stranger... my ability..."

"Tsukune? Slow down, you're not making any sense."

"Uh... right. You see, I was... thinking on the cliffs that you liked to hang out near, and someone tossed a box toward me that contained this looking glass, and a tiny little emerald focus to boot. Recently, I've discovered I can not only sense ayashi energy, I can see it as well. This glass seems to help magnify that ability. It's how I was able to see you... I saw your ice blue aura through the wood."

Mizore tilted her head (another habit she'd yet to get rid of) as she took it all in. So he could see youki now, huh? What wasn't this guy capable of? A small smile played at her lips as her imagination drew some possibilities... he repeatedly found ways to make her proud somehow, and it was growing on her more than anything else had. She still kept her guard, as was her ingrained response to any other sentient being, but it was slipping against this seemingly completely innocent boy. Sometimes it scared her, but it also was comforting to know that someone still cared.

"Tsukune-kun, who exactly gave you this looking glass?

He stumbled, unsure of how to answer. He hadn't exactly been paying attention when the person threw it, and there was no identification on the box... he settled with saying a solid 'I don't know.'

A light blue eyebrow rose slightly, but other than that her expression remained unchanged. She would consider the whole thing later; right now she felt like following him up to his room whether he wanted her there or not, and there was nothing he could do about it. He needs to be more open, and her experimental approach served the purpose wonderfully. She told him as much as she put a small hand on his shoulder and turned him around with the inexorable strength of stone. It was ironic how strong her youkai blood made her relatively small form, but it was comical too. Tsukune being his usual self, a small token of surprise befit a pet on his face, let himself be pushed into the boys' dorm with only a brief spout of half-hearted resistance. After giving in, he more or less walked up the stairs instead of being thrown up them, and was wary of Mizore silently prodding him forward every now and then.

Mizore still admired how tidy Tsukune's room was, even though it was almost barren in terms of furnishings and personality. She entertained the thought of giving Kurumu free reign over the room for a day before thinking better of it; it probably wouldn't be fit for male life after she had been in there. The late sun gave it an almost ghost-like appearance, as if it had been uninhabited for a long, long time. Attractive to the snow maiden, in a sense, but it also gave a sense of sorrow to the occupant.

"How come you wanted to come up with me, Mizore-chan? It's against the rules to be in the guys' dorm..." Tsukune started. He had went to clean up the place a little, seeing as he never interacted with his room other than making himself presentable and sleeping in the bed. He hadn't expected Mizore to just stand by the window, looking out on the dead forest though. He had noticed the icy girl didn't like to speak much, if at all, instead relying on her actions and eyes to convey most or all of the message she had. It could be construed as arrogant and annoying to those who didn't know her too well, but for him he understood why she remained so reticent. ...Well, not on a factual basis, but his empathy took care of the parts he didn't know about. The only thing it didn't take care of was the motives she had behind her rather erratic actions, such as this charade she was putting on for him.

"I wanted to stay with you for awhile, Tsukune-kun." Her voice was even more muted than normal, and he had only his enhanced supernatural hearing to thank for making it out. He went rigid when the implications hit him, but relaxed soon enough and went to stand next to her. The window wasn't really that wide, but she was petite enough that they could both look out of it with ease. Thankfully he didn't have an aneurism when she grabbed his arm and rested her head on his shoulder, but after the initial awkwardness it was actually kind of nice. Either way, he was surprised she would actually do something like this...

"Is this okay?" she asked after reading his response. She was nervous as hell, but the more he let it go on the more her fear was soothed. It appeared that he liked it too; maybe not as much as she did, but that was beside the point.

"What's going on, Mizore? You're acting kind of weird... no no! You can stay there if you want, I don't mind."

After a minute of putting her heart back in her chest where it belonged, she contemplated his query for a few moments. Should she answer him to make him happy, or tell him what was making her so edgy? He would probably be able to tell if she wasn't telling the truth... so she opted for what she thought was best.

"I've been hearing... rumors around the school, Tsukune-kun. Rumors that you're not a youkai, and that you're going to be captured and tortured for infiltrating the academy!" He looked at her, and was surprised to see wetness in her eyes. He connected them with worry for him about his future, but that wasn't the whole reason. She hadn't told him about how the people she overheard discussing this were some tall man in a uniform and the headmaster himself, and that Mikogami had seemingly agreed with letting the whole thing happen.

X-X

Moka could've swore that Tsukune would've been here, but he was nowhere to be found. Even after fearfully checking the white waves below, she determined he was no longer here. That means he must have either run off again or went back to his dorm. Since she had no hope of finding him if he really wanted to be hidden, she decided to head back and check his room just in case. Inner Moka was getting extremely frustrated at his idiocy, but seeing as she had no way to vent, kept her peace. There was no need to give her outer self a headache for no reason. Moka started the walk back to the academy, hurt and pouting, while Inner Moka tried to reason with her and get her to beat the living crap out of him so she didn't have to. Outer Moka would at least leave him in one piece. The forest wasn't exactly boring or incriminating, it was just a hassle to go through when one was in a hurry. A little ways from the academy itself she ran into Kurumu, who was ambling about fighting off the rather insidious crowd of suitors that couldn't resist her latent charm. It was a hobby for her at this point; some would keep at it for the whole school year, and some would stray off with only more to take their place.

"Hi Kurumu-chan! What are you up to?"

"Oh, the usual. Fighting off the wannabes and fools. What are you doing?"

"Looking for Tsukune. I'm worried about him..."

"Oh, that numbskull? He came by earlier and talked to me before bolting off for no reason again. Really confusing. Boys, eh?"

A small tic mark had appeared over Moka's eyebrow, much to Kurumu's puzzlement. The cheery Moka was almost never angry... shrugging her shoulders and sighing, she decided to follow her. It was better than beating off these idiots with a long stick anyway.

Getting under way, the two chatted as they walked and discussed classes, themselves, and the general chaos of Youkai. They were worried that Tsukune had done something stupid or awful or both, but they knew he was relatively strong now and could handle being by himself. Kurumu couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching them, but for the most part she ignored it; after all, they were pretty close to the dorms now and soon they'd be moving on.

In fact, she was feeling much better after the initial upheaval earlier and was happy to be talking to her friend. When she looked over to her after there was no reply to a peculiar quip, though, she noticed Moka wasn't walking with her anymore.

"Moka, what's wrong?" Moka was looking past her toward the direction of the dorm buildings, and her eyes were large and quivering, mouth slightly agape. A hand had automatically put itself over her chest in a vain attempt to quell the massive beats her heart had taken. Kurumu followed her gaze to the buildings, and soon followed Moka's lead.

"TSUKUNE!" they both yelled, and started running toward the buildings. Smoke was pouring out of multiple windows near their friend's window.

**Author's Notes: **Yeah I won't lie, I've been slacking off big time, making empty promises and quite frankly, not doing a damn thing about it. Maybe I'm just too lazy. But anyway, here's the latest chapter for your enjoyment. I need help though, guys; I don't know if I'm making a good plot or just rambling on and making up mindless fights and whatnot. Also thinking of starting a new story, because the idea's been brewing in my head for the past month, but I want you guys' opinions first. Forgive me for my incompetence. Vincent.


	16. Blaze

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

**Tsukune Aono, Youkai Academy (5****th**** Class); Three Days Ago, 2:42 p.m.**

_Will I ever be at peace here? _wondered the now inhuman boy that had somehow obtained the strength to hurl cars in a mere month. He was pondering the fact that no matter what happened or what he was doing at the moment, there seemed to be a rather unhealthy amount of violence within the academy. Nearly every day multiple fights would break out among students who thought themselves alpha males amongst a rabble of both weak and insanely strong monsters. It made Tsukune wonder how the academy could ever actually teach these mongrels how to successfully blend in to the human world, if that was its true aim. The motives of the headmaster were always shady, almost never revealed, and most of the time a prelude to the desired result of the Dark Lord in disguise.

Tsukune sighed. Another one was brewing right in front of his eyes, and no one was even paying attention. It looked like they were fighting over whether or not their own answer was the correct one to the problem up on the board. Of course, being math, the only monsters that would fight over such a trivial thing were the brainiacs; however, unlike their human counterparts, such a squabble would not mean a petty slap fight. In this case, it meant a telepathic gridlock that involved flying desks, pencils, papers, electricity, and sometimes even a fellow student. It hadn't happened yet, but that's what it usually broke down to. These two had done it before, and Tsukune had ended up with a desk on top of him and the rather old sprinkler system spraying water everywhere. Seeing as he was technically a vampire, it burned the hell out of him. Luckily though, since his blood was not as pure it merely hurt like hell and didn't immobilize him.

He got up and showed them that both of their answers were wrong and pointed to a fellow student's paper, showing her work to be near perfect and, of course, correct; the work on the paper matched the work on the board exactly. Essentially drained of their steam, the two fuming ayashi settled back down and went about their business.

How come these monsters wanted to fight each other so often? Was it basic animal instinct that demanded the blood of the inferiors and/or challengers? Or were the animalistic traits of humans manifested more dangerously in ayashi? Exhaling another defeated sigh, Tsukune finished his work and excused himself from the classroom. It was going to be a long day.

Ambling around the hallways and thinking about his frenetic day (that was oddly becoming the norm, all things considered), Tsukune looked about trying to find something relaxing to do. The halls were thoughtfully uniform, and signs pointed to hotspots located all around the square-like building, but nothing in the academy itself could be considered "relaxing." So, he tried doing the next best thing; looking for one of his friends. Coincidentally the only friends he had were the three supernaturally gorgeous girls that had latched onto him like beautiful leeches, but this was of no matter to him. Friends were friends, and that's all there was to it. Turning a corner, Tsukune noticed a slightly cocked door a few meters down. Curious, he sneaked up to it, making sure he wasn't being watched, and tried to eavesdrop on the conversation currently going on inside.

"There have been multiple disturbances in the student body, sire."

"From the monstrels?"

"Hai, sire. There have been incidences of remote killings, students wandering off into the woods under the presumption of being shown a 'surprise,' and then being mercilessly and brutally slaughtered. No one has seen or heard mention of a suspect, but then again those who could are dead and... rotting."

Tsukune's eyes widened. There were killings going on? How come the headmaster didn't know? How come he didn't do anything?

"Has Tenmei been informed of this?"

"No, sire. Should I send word immediately?"

The person in authority seemed to pause, contemplating it. Why would he be contemplating something like this? These were killings, for crying out loud!

"No. I'll deal with this. He needn't worry himself about trivial matters such as this. After all, these vermin will be crushed and broken, just like they have for most of their miserable lives. That is all."

Tsukune quickly hurried on his way, not wanting to be discovered still lingering by the door. Who were those two? It seemed like they were students, because he faintly recognized the underling, but what was their connection to the supposed killings? He kept pondering this as he walked down the hall, absentmindedly looking for a succubus who would no doubt be skipping just as he was.

**Aono and Shirayuki, Youkai Dorms; Present Day, five minutes before the fire, 5:32 p.m.**

"Tsukune-kun, what's the matter? Don't you want me to keep you company?"

Blood immediately rushed to his face, mind racing with the branched thoughts that the statement spawned. He should probably berate himself for letting his mind wander to such improper places, but she just looked so cute! Tsukune couldn't possibly resist putting one of his trademark smiles on his face, scratching the back of his head, and saying, "Of course not, Mizore-chan! You can stay here if you like!"

The snow woman's tiny smile, rare and a sight to behold, made something flutter in Tsukune's chest. How could he possibly let this girl down? With only a minute bit of hesitation, she sidled over to his side and rested her head on his shoulder, holding onto his arm at the same time.

"Is this all right?" she queried almost silently.

He merely nodded, content with her closeness after quelling the rampant heartbeat that came from the move. Something tickled the back of his brain, though, and his eyes wandered. He almost ignored it, but the feeling persisted until he finally paid attention to it and realized that a few fellows were heading toward them, their energy signatures fluctuating not because of anticipation or fear, but because they merely felt like flaring them. Confident instead and by this point no doubt heading straight for him, Tsukune realized that he and Mizore could possibly be in danger. Not many ayashi he knew would want to pick a fight with him and feel so utterly confident that there was no reason for wariness.

Mizore noticed the rigidness in Tsukune's arm and asked him about it, with the tense boy curtly telling her what he knew. Her brow settled closer to her icy irises, signaling that she was ready for a fight. In the youkai world, you had to be if you were to stay alive. Members of your own species might not kill you, but any other definitely would, and most without hesitation.

Thirty seconds passed with no incriminating action, but soon enough a respectful knock sounded on the door. Tsukune had a double take, expecting the door to just be thrown in his face instead. Nevertheless as wary as ever and keeping all of his senses strained to the fullest, he slowly approached the door and opened it a bit, asking who was bothering him at this hour.

"Tsukune Aono? May we come in? We would like to ask you a few questions, if that's not too much of a bother." A woman was standing outside, in an odd black uniform with gold buttons running parallel up the front and one for the collar (a collar? Who the heck wears those?!) and matching black pants to boot. Three other students stood in a rigid line behind her, identical uniforms donned and emotionless faces staring at nothing at all. The woman herself had spiky long purple hair and matching purple eyes, and from the looks of it carried herself like she knew what she was doing and had the strength to enforce it. It was enforced by the armbands adorned by each member with a peculiar triangle like emblem stitched in. Tsukune thought he recognized the symbol, but it was only a vague feeling.

Behind him, Mizore's eyes narrowed ever so slightly; she didn't like the coincidence of these four randomly appearing before his door and wanting to "ask him some questions." She especially didn't like the fact that they were all uniformed. This could only bode ill, so she prepared herself with a large amount of congealed water vapor in the back of the room. She might need it if a fight broke out, which seemed imminent.

"I-I guess... what was your name again?"

"Oh, silly me! I seemed to have forgot my manners. My name is Keito."

Tsukune didn't catch the importance of the name, but Mizore's eyes flashed in response. She had heard of the student police officer before, but only in passing. Now entirely convinced trouble was on the way, she retreated further back into the room and promptly hid in the closet. Best not to let the creepy officer see her.

Tsukune led Keito and her escort in, and offered them tea. Each refused, claiming that their main concern was to ask him questions and that they would soon leave after they were finished. Seeing no other choice, he complied and they all sat down on some old mats that Tsukune kept in the back just in case he had visitors.

"Tsukune Aono, have you ever heard of Ando Nakamura?" Keito's eyes bled venom as she set the trap that would seal the boy's fate.

"No... was he important?"

An amused smile. "Once," she replied. "He came to this school quite awhile ago. Reminds me a bit of you. A nice boy, always looking to help those in need. The problem was, he joined the newspaper club a little further into the semester, thought it would help get word out for those who needed help or something. What he didn't realize was he was printing libel directly against the Public Security Committee, and that is completely unacceptable. The trick was, he wasn't doing anything strictly wrong, so we had to do some work in order to take him in. Guess what we found? 'Monster species: not classified.' How interesting could that be? So, after a little more personal investigation, the Committee finds that Ando was in fact human.

"Do you know what we do to humans in this academy, Aono?" Without waiting for a response; "The academy board has made it possible to execute any humans detected in the academy."

Tsukune's eyes narrowed and his muscles tensed; this was going to a very dangerous head, and he felt the need to get out of there immediately. Would have, too, if he didn't know he would never escape the Committee if he bolted now. That, and Mizore was still somewhere nearby. If they found her...

"Why are you telling me all this?" Tsukune asked, but he felt that he already knew the answer.

Keito stood, her guards following suit like robots. "You are accused of infiltrating Youkai Academy as a human, and are compelled to attend trial by the Committee. Cases and evidence will all be presented at Committee headquarters, and all affiliated with you will be brought in for questioning."

Both Tsukune's and Mizore's eyes shot wide open in shock; Tsukune was no longer human! His blood proved that, so why was the Committee taking him in? It was too late for negotiations or defense, though, for the guards, by some unseen command, moved forward to restrain the stricken vampire. They couldn't possibly know, after all; there was no recognition to Tsukune's sealing, and he always tried to keep his bracer hidden at all times. He looked human by all accounts, and he couldn't concentrate his youki quick enough to release the seal. Before he could do anything, one of the henchman lunged forward to grab his arm, and Tsukune flung himself backward by sheer survival instinct. Of course, it wasn't the best idea because he managed to hit his head on the wall with the force of his dodge, but that wasn't important. To be captured was to be put to death; Keito had explained it clearly to him. A human would be executed, and these guys didn't look like they were fair judges.

Trying as hard as he could to recover from the throbbing in his skull, Tsukune sidled sideways along the wall toward the window. Unsurprisingly the henchman were revealing their true natures in an effort to take him down efficiently; the left one was a giant lizard-looking thing, the middle one was walking crocodile, and the right one was literally a dragon, complete with wings and everything. Great. The left one spit some greenish liquid at him, missing mostly, but some of the liquid got onto his arm. The limb immediately went numb.

_A poisonous lizard, a crocodile, and a dragon?! Are you kidding?!_ Tsukune thought as he rolled behind his bed. The effort was futile, as the dragon simply opened up and let out a liquid stream of fire in his direction. Keito sighed and shook her head in exasperation, but as long as Tsukune was captured it was fine. The Committee could cover up a fire with an easy accident story, but it still made for more work than was preferable. Trapped in a pocket of unconsumed air, Tsukune saw no choice as to make a break for it and escape via the window. There were enough trees in the courtyard to hide after the initial jump. He tensed his legs in preparation for the final dash, but his mind unwillingly shot to Mizore, still somewhere in the room. He couldn't leave her here against these four lunatics – she would burn alive or be captured, and he knew instinctually that the yuki-onna would suffer at the dragon's hands (er, rather, his mouth) if they found out she was an ice-user. He tried to use his new ability to search for her aura, but the smoke made any visibility essentially zero. His own pocket of air was also quickly running out. Either he could run straight into the vicious arms of his captors, dash for the window, or... wait a minute, the looking glass! He quickly pulled it out and put the focus in, nearly dropping it in his haste.

_Great, _he thought. The smoke did the same for the spyglass, but he could at least barely make out the striations floating above the three minions – their true natures were more actively putting off youki energy. Quickly panning the room, he noticed some slight distortions in the air by his closet, which was directly across the room from his bed, next to the washroom. So that's where she was hiding. Luckily it was still further back in the room as to be out of the goons' reach, but it was also not yet being attacked by the flames. Once he knew where Mizore was hiding, all doubt and planning quickly fled his mind. His sole goal was to get her to safety. There was no way he would let her burn at the hands of these fiends. Gathering as much energy in his body as he could, he tensed and sprang out from behind the bed, burns adorning the back and right side of his body from sitting too close to the burning bed. The lizard guy was waiting for him, and spat more poison at him as soon as he leaped from his hiding spot. Taking a leaning dive toward his left so his burns wouldn't hurt him, he dodged the poison and got up, opening the closet door and using it as a shield to withstand the stream of fire that soon came after. Now that their attention was on his closet, Tsukune had very little time to get Mizore to safety before they either burned or passed out.

Speaking of Mizore, she was sure as hell surprised to see him, whispering his name as he came in. "Tsukune-kun, what the hell's going on out there? Are you all right?" She had noticed his burns.

"Mizore-chan, we have to get out of here. They're burning the place down, and they have someone who can spit poison that paralyzes you instantly. Will you come with me?"

Easily regaining her calm, the very quintessence of the yuki-onna serenity, she nodded once and held out her arms. She trusted him to get her out of there; she couldn't get out alone. Not with this much fire already draining the ambient moisture from the room. She also sensed that the condensed pocket of water she had prepared near the bed was now also gone. Tsukune picked her up with relative ease and held her close, preparing once again to dash out from the suffocatingly packed closet. Both doors were now alight in flame, and he would be hard-pressed to get out of the place with no further injuries.

"You ready?"

"Go, Tsukune! I'll do what I can to help you!"

Nodding, Tsukune kicked open the doors and sprinted out as fast as he could, making a beeline for the door. Fed up with their games, both lizards spat their incapacitating liquids at the two as the crocodile rushed in between to take them down if they missed. Tsukune was lucky he kept the window open most of the time; it made for more easily breathable air in the now smoke-ridden room. It also made for easy jumping access, since it was a pretty large window. With Mizore in tow and safely tucked under him, he dived out like a professional diver going through a hoop before either of the three attacks took him down. Of course, that was mostly in part because the attacks happened to land on their comrade, who had misjudged the travel speed and was now lying on the floor, paralyzed and on fire. Keito had long gone, already seeing the procedure as a failure, and had left the blame to the three – no, two now – remaining. Killing their own and letting the target escape was an abysmal failure, and the punishments would be so severe the lizards later wished they shared their friend's fate.

Mizore just realized that it was a solid four stories they had just jumped from, and the ground was rushing awfully fast. The way Tsukune was holding her and the technique of his dive meant he would take most of the impact, but it still made her instinctively snap her eyes shut in anticipation. A few seconds passed, and some turbulence hit, but there was no final impact. They were still in motion, somehow.

Without opening her eyes, she said, "Tsukune? What happened?"

All she could hear over the rush of the wind was his heavy breathing, but at last he said, "Mizore, I think I'm flying..."

Finally opening her eyes, she witnessed an amazing phenomenon; Tsukune was indeed flying! Well, gliding would more accurately describe it, as they were still slowly descending, but there were, true to form, bat-like wings each as wide as his bed. Another surprise came when she noticed a spaded tail billowing slightly behind him. Giggling a bit from nerves, she realized that Tsukune had manifested Kurumu's ability in the form of an actual succubus (scratch that, incubus, she realized), complete with wings and all. Looking at his face, she saw that he was finally in his true form, vampiric eyes shining with an ironclad determination and silver hair that was slightly shinier flowing in the wind. He looked down at her, her bell-like giggle piercing his concentration. That was a mistake, though; abruptly, his wings wavered and bent, and all of a sudden retracted into his shoulder blades. Luckily they were only a few feet off the ground, but the tumble was still rougher than expected and ended up with Mizore beneath a rather flushed (and injured) Tsukune. Breathing heavily from the unusual strain on his shoulder and middle back muscles, he let his head hit the ground in exhaustion besides Mizore's. Doing all that running earlier and now the whole fiasco with the Security Committee drained him quite profoundly. So much so that he failed to realize he was inadvertently trapping a certain yuki-onna underneath him.

He definitely noticed it though when she shifted, uncomfortable underneath his light, but rigid body. In any other circumstance her head would be spinning (well, it was, but from very different sources), but at the moment her only concern was getting Tsukune off of her, and then tending to their wounds. Tsukune still failed to realize her predicament after a minute or so, however, and in response Mizore cast him off unceremoniously to the side, where he lay just as limply as he had previously. Sitting up, Mizore looked at the window they had jumped out of, seeing quite a huge plume of smoke billowing out of it, as well as a few of the surrounding windows. So the goons had decided to make it look like the whole thing was an accident, and burned some nearby rooms as well. No doubt they would have a good cover story to match the surreptitious circumstances. Out of the corner of her eye, Mizore noticed two people running toward them.

Looking in that direction, Mizore noticed Moka and Kurumu running toward the dorm building. Casting a glance at the panting Tsukune, she called the two over from their crude landing spot twenty meters from the building.

"Tsukune? Mizore? What happened?!" Kurumu called to them as she and Moka ran toward them.

"Are you guys okay? Oh my gosh, look at you... we have to get something to help..." Moka ran on, worried to death about the rather serious looking burns covering one half of Tsukune's torso.

Finally dragging himself up, Tsukune noticed his friends were all kneeling in a circle around him, looking at him like he was missing a limb. Making a cursory glance over himself to assess the damage, he sighed. There was a nasty gash in his right shoulder with glass still sticking out of it. The fact that he had maintained his wings to stay level while injured was surprising, and the fact that his supernatural healing wasn't fixing anything worried him. He had either done too much or not eaten enough.

"It's all right, guys, really. I just need to feed, and I'll be okay."

"Well why didn't you say so?! Drink up, Tsukune!" Kurumu piped in, eerily eager to bare her neck for the vampire. At the sight of Kurumu's bared neck, Tsukune's stomach growled noisily, making blood rush to his face in an unhealthy amount. Nervously, he got close to her, both still kneeling on the grass, as Kurumu beckoned him closer. Once her smell was firmly set in his nose, hunger took over, and he quickly (but gently) drank from the willing succubus. All he could concentrate on was the feeling of red nourishment entering his system, and the feeling of his burns, cuts and gashes sealing up and disappearing. The weirdest one was the glass stuck in his shoulder; it was literally pushed out by tissue racing to replace the section lost from the incision. Once he got to Kurumu's limit (which was disappointingly small, considering her size – the smaller the person, the less blood they could lose), he sat back, relishing in the feeling of new strength boiling from his core. Or was it something else?

After the feeling abated, he opened his eyes after closing them in relief, to see a shocked expression on Kurumu's face and an aghast look on Moka's.

"Ts-Tsukune... are-are those wings... sticking out of your back...?" quivered Moka's voice. Turning around for a look himself, he noticed that once again the incubus wings were sprouting from between his shoulder blades. Flexing the muscles there experimentally, the two meter apiece wings flicked and quivered in response to the movement. Standing, he also noticed the tail flicking about behind him. A sigh escaped him, because now he had some explaining to do; Mizore had already witnessed his particular ability, but Kurumu knew nothing about it and, by the look on Moka's face, her Inner self hadn't bothered telling her about it either.

Tsukune's faced scrunched up in concentration, trying to will the unsightly (to him, at the moment) appendages back into his body. He felt something stir, and... they were still there. Great. He returned to his seat in the circle with a roll of his eyes.

"Guys, I have to explain something to you..."

"Like those monstrous wings coming out of your back?!" Moka shouted at him.

"Hey! They're not monstrous!" Kurumu protested. "I have the same kind of wings, and they're perfectly fine!" Tsukune calmed the two, and each settled with a harrumph that was cute, but somehow unfitting.

"You see, back when I was possessed by the ghoul, I could dream about the parts of my soul. Kurumu, you remember, right?" A nod was elicited from said succubus. "Anyway, you saw that there are a multitude of 'fragments' flying around in there. Apparently, each one is a peculiar piece of my soul. Well, the way I figure it, when a vampire like me ingests another person's blood, said vampire absorbs part of their soul."

Kurumu's eyes flashed. She remembered the oddly looking fragments flying around, now – they had looked exactly like snow people and seducters.

Tsukune noticed it, but went on. "It seems that when I consume enough of a certain type of blood, that particular person's soul manifests in me as their signature ability or form. Hence my magical new ice wielding capabilities, and the... er... wings."

Mizore nodded her understanding, and Kurumu also finished the puzzle, but Moka refused to accept it. "And what happens when you feed from a human? Or another vampire, hmm?"

Tsukune laughed, more at the fact that he himself had pondered it than her tone, but she didn't take too well to it. A quick apology later, he said, "From the looks of it, vampires are too similar for anything to happen, and humans are also too similar, considering vampires originated from them... I think. We are humanoid in our true forms, after all, right?" He couldn't resist scratching the back of his head in that habit that he's kept ever since arriving.

Looking at the floor, Moka contemplated the reasoning, and finding no fault, deflated. After all, she couldn't stay perplexedly angry at anyone for long, especially Tsukune. Recovering her normally cheery outlook, she gathered them all up and decided to take them down to her place, since Tsukune's was now on fire and Mizore appeared shaken up. If Mizore "appeared" anything and wasn't kidding around, it was pretty serious. Kurumu could come because that just wasn't fair if everyone was invited but her.

Amusingly, the very outlier herself started jumping up and down in glee, shouting something about a sleepover and that it was going to be the greatest one of their lives. With everyone else chuckling, they stood, but when Tsukune noticed Mizore had troubles standing, he easily and effortlessly swept her from her feet and carried her in the direction that the other two were going. Mizore's look of surprise would have been priceless had he seen it, but to her chagrin and adoration, he hadn't noticed. All he had saw was her distress and had appropriately fixed it. It was to her benefit that neither of the two leading noticed either, because at the moment she couldn't ably defend herself from two jealous lunatics.

X-X

"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course! Now put your bag there and quiet yourself. You're ruining the mood!"

"Okay... Moka, are you-"

"Tsukune, Kurumu said it was fine, now please get a futon and seat yourself. You are my guest, after all. There will be no further discussions about it."

A defeated Tsukune did as he was told and cast his head, but not before he caught Moka slip him a wink that made him smile. It was definitely going to be fun living with the others for awhile, even if it meant possible punishment to Kurumu and Mizore. It was against the rules to stay with others, even if they lived in the same building. Tsukune only barely escaped punishment because of the convenient razing of his room and the overly packed guys' dorm not having any open spaces. Of course, it didn't stop the neighboring girls from casting murderous looks his way as he carried his sole piece of luggage into hostile territory. In fact, he only truly felt safe when he spotted Moka herself in the lobby and she led him to her room (as well as keeping any potential sharks off of him).

It had been a long day for most of them, what with the strain on the girls' hearts and the narrowly escaped blaze. It was rather late by this point, and all they wanted to do was take a load off and get to sleep quickly. Tsukune hadn't managed to retract his wings and tail until he had realized that it was now a part of his true form and resealed himself. He attributed their brief retraction earlier to post-disaster trauma and accepted it in stride with all the other freaky things that had happened to him. But it also made him wonder... if his wings were now a part of his true form, why didn't his hair ice up like Mizore did when she revealed hers? He chalked it up to the vampiric traits being more dominant than his snow person ones and left it at that. After all, he could barely keep his eyes open and there was a candle or two waving nice aromas his way. _Wait, Moka has _candles_?_

The thought was lost when a pillow was unceremoniously thrust into his face, and then again. Peeling an eye open, Tsukune saw a bubbling Kurumu behind an enormous frilled pillow. _Just where the heck did these guys buy these kinds of things...? _Ah, well. Grabbing a pillow of his own, he retaliated with gusto, leaving a screeching Kurumu victim to his merciless barrage of fluffiness.

Moka walked back in just as Mizore joined in, mouth agape and two more futons for the others in hand. Speechless enough to watch the outrageousness for a few more seconds, anger reasserted itself. "Hey! Cut that out **now**!"

All three of them froze, unsure of whether to keep going or shrink into themselves. They opted for the latter once they caught sight of Moka's fiery eyes. Each quickly retreated to their own section of the room, quietly receiving their own futon and looking at nothing. "Now listen, guys," Moka started. "If you're all going to stay in my room, you have to be respectful, and not mess around – no horseplay. All right?" Everyone nodded their heads. "Okay, it's late, and this can wait until morning; both the incident and your silliness. Goodnight, everyone."

With that, she blew out the candles that were lit before everyone came in and turned off the lights after the guys were settled. Kurumu and Moka fell asleep almost instantly, and Mizore soon after, but Tsukune remained awake despite his major exhaustion. He kept thinking back to the arrival of the PSC at his door, and how they had tried to arrest him for being human, which he no longer was. What had he done to deserve this? It's not like he was a troublemaker like a third of this school; in fact, he had seen such students get into devastating fights that ended in destruction of school property and they were seen the very next day acting like nothing had happened. Of course, Tsukune himself had had a few spats himself, but those were unprovoked and nothing was broken...

More than once he found himself thinking of the unreal feeling of wings sprouting from his back and the strain on the muscles there as the leathery membranes caught hold of the air he was falling onto. If he fed from more youkai species... would he continue to get stronger? Merely gain more abilities, or would there be a limit? If he were able to consume the abilities of every youkai he could find, and most vampires were capable of such things, why didn't every member of their species do so? These were questions he would have to ask Moka in private tomorrow, after they got some headway into the whole arrest ordeal of course.

The next morning, all three of the girls awoke abruptly to the sound of Tsukune's noisy snoring. They didn't recognize the sound at first; nobody was supposed to sleep in someone else's room, and so most people never heard someone else's breathing habits. Kurumu's dad was away, and Moka had a large amount of space between her parents, so they didn't know, and Mizore's dad didn't. Once Moka noticed the source, though, worry bloomed in her chest for the addled vampire. If he was snoring this hard this early, he probably didn't get to sleep until much later last night. She communicated as much to the others before quietly slipping out of bed and getting dressed. She urged the others to return to their rooms and do the same, and bid them try not to wake up the lump on the floor. Once the three were back to their normal selves with a bit of rest under their... shirts, the trio went on a little preemptive investigating.

Moka was tasked with researching the PSC and their history, as Kurumu didn't have the patience for books and Moka was suited to a better job. Kurumu was appointed journalist, as she had plenty of ways to get information out of those who were victim of the shady committee. Mizore was given the most dangerous job; she had to tail any PSC members she could find and document any abuses they committed while being followed. She was specially suited to the job, though, because it was basically stalking with a camera.

Kurumu walked outside the cafeteria, looking for someone who might have been victim to the PSC. But who would fit the bill? They all looked the same... everyone was no different from their peer except hair style... wait a minute! A shorter girl was just walking out of the cafeteria, an odd cloak and pointed hat sitting atop an evenly cut hairstyle. Kurumu looked closer... was this girl really in high school? She looked (and dressed) like a junior high school kid! Oh well; someone like that was a magnet for ne'er-do-wells and the like – and that meant the PSC!

"Hey! Excuse me, could I talk to you a moment?" she called to the younger girl. A notepad and pen appeared from nowhere, and secretary glasses had found themselves put on. Kurumu could see well at most distances, the farther away the better, but she had trouble reading things that were too close. It was kind of the reason she didn't do homework. In any case, the odd looking girl came over, a frown already in place and ill intentions high in her mind.

"What do you want you big balloon bag?"

Kurumu was shocked at the girl's haughty tone and the way she slammed her fists onto her hips, just like a little girl would. Mustering a monumental effort to not spit back a half-baked retort, she said, "I was just wondering if I could ask you a few questions. Could you help me out?" She made a conscious effort to review everything in her head before saying it, omitting the word 'twerp' many times throughout.

The girl's expression lightened somewhat, but she was still suspicious. Kurumu sounded sincere and looked like she truly wanted what she asked, but she had learned to never trust any of the other students unless she wanted to have a prank played on her. "Fine. But make it quick."

Kurumu turned, beckoned the girl to follow, and rolled her eyes as soon as the other girl couldn't see. Maybe she would have been better off finding someone else to interview... no matter. She was here, she was coming along, and no one was following them (she thought). Once in front of the school where no one could interrupt them, she motioned for the girl to sit on a bench with her.

"Okay... so let's start off with an easy one. What's your name?" Kurumu asked, best reporter face on display.

The younger girl contemplated that. If she didn't know who she was, then maybe she wasn't dangerous. Face easing considerably, she said, "My name's Sendo Yukari! What's yours, miss?"

Seeing the change immediately, Kurumu thought that this girl may not be as bad as she thought. "My name's Kurono Kurumu. I wanted to ask you some questions that you may not be comfortable answering, but they're not personal. Is that all right?" Warily, Yukari agreed. "Okay, have you ever heard of the Public Security Committee?"

The way Yukari's eyes quickly darted around and then fell to the side said everything. Apparently she did, and their encounter wasn't in the most pleasurable of terms.

"Listen... my friend was almost abducted by them and taken to who knows what kind of torture. He did nothing wrong, and me and my friends want to stop them. Can you help us do that, Yukari?"

The girl was crying silently now, but she nodded again after a few seconds. Determined, she looked up straight into Kurumu's eyes, full of defiance. "Right! I can help by helping you, yes? I do know the PSC... almost everyone knows about them. They came to me a week or so back and wanted money for 'disturbing the peace.' I hadn't done anything! I knew they were up to no good."

Now things were getting serious. This was what she was waiting for. "Okay, can you tell me who runs the Committee? Or where their headquarters is?"

"Yes – the Committee is run by a fearsome third year named Kuyou." A visible shudder wracked her small frame. Apparently the man had frightened her badly. "He runs the whole thing, but he's also immensely powerful. I wouldn't recommend you fight him under any circumstances. As for their headquarters... I know they're somewhere behind the academy, but I'm not sure where."

Kurumu wrote all of this down, greatly pleased to have gotten her information so quickly. She thanked the girl, gave her a hug, and promised to stop the PSC from ever hurting her again. As Kurumu walked back toward the dorm to report her findings, Yukari looked on to the surprisingly friendly succubus and wondered if everyone in the academy was so bad after all.

Nearby, a bespectacled man in a black uniform peered after the petite succubus from behind a tree. Such digging on the Committee's actions would not be acceptable by any circumstances. The man thought it best he report to his master, in order to find the best way to deal with this blasphemy.

**Author's Notes: **Surprise! I got the plot rolling again, so I can write with more confidence (If you spot any errors, please let me know. I hate making mistakes, even if it's because I'm in a rush)! Well, here's the next chapter, I guess! I know it may seem unoriginal to follow the path of the canon story, but personally I find taking this AU and running it somewhere along the same general highway the best option instead of taking it somewhere else and completely fucking it up. In any case, enjoy! More suspenseful and action chapters to come! Vincent.


	17. Captured

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

**(Note, please read the librarian's voice in a rendition of Jim Carrey's. It makes him hilarious!)**

Kurumu went back to Moka's room to see if anyone had made it back yet; she didn't believe anyone would be done as soon as she had, but there was always the chance. The room was, as she expected, completely empty, but she dropped the notepad on the desk and got an energy drink from Moka's mini fridge. She wouldn't mind... especially if she wasn't told about it. How come Moka never kept any decorations? All there was was scented candles and red drapes and tapestries. How the heck she found the time and effort to put those up but not get any other important things, like furniture, was beyond her. Kurumu thought she'd teach Moka a thing or two about proper interior designing when this whole Security Committee thing blew over.

Sitting down on the bed, as the chair by the desk didn't look comfortable at all, Kurumu tried to relax as much as she could. Being the hottest girl on campus and doing her best for Tsukune drained her more than anything else she had done, even flying for the first time. Her back had been so sore...

A note was slipped under the door, coming to rest on the woven mat Moka kept by the door for wiping the grime off of shoes. Curious, Kurumu got up and read the note, not caring if it was for the room's owner or not.

_Dear Kurono-sama,_

_We know what you're doing, and we advise that you cease this action immediately. It's for your own self interests. We understand that you may think you are doing this for the greater good, or for someone else's good, but you are mistaken. Further trouble will be met with swift and severe punishment._

_K._

Kurumu was shaking, eyes wide, as she finished reading the short, but venomous letter. How the hell did they know she would be in Moka's room? Nerveless fingers dropped the paper like it was poisoned. Adrenaline rushing through her veins, she dashed to the door and burst it open, looking for the person who had dropped it off. The hallway was large, and it hadn't taken her long to read it, so the messenger couldn't have gotten far. She ran left, searching that wing for anybody who looked suspicious. Empty. Retracing her steps to the other wing, she found one student who was merely walking back to their room. Not suspicious at all.

_I have to warn the others! _She thought in a panic. She had gotten a warning for merely asking questions; who knows what would happen if they found the others. Especially their target, Tsukune... gasping, Kurumu realized they might be after him and dashed off, barely remembering to lock the door again. He hadn't been in the room, as was expected, but now his life may very well be in danger, and she was the only one who could save him.

Mizore held onto the window's ledge with ease. This was (luckily for her) viewing spot #130, and one of the members of the PSC were now harassing some weak looking first year with glasses, probably for information, money, or both. The proof was in the little kid's shaking legs and the officer's outstretched hand. Creating an arm out of ice to help hold the camera, Mizore clicked the setting into video and started recording the exchange. No one else was anywhere to be seen, and it certainly didn't look like the officer was "protecting" the kid. A minute or so passed, and Mizore felt that this length of video was good enough for one piece of evidence. Time to look for another incident.

It actually didn't take her long at all; after perusing the halls in her normal stalking fashion, she discovered Keito herself with another escort harassing the school's one and only newspaper club staff, Ginei Morioka. It was interesting to her to see the werewolf bow his head to such seemingly weaker monsters. She could tell they were collecting dues because of her position; in the vents above, the video quality wasn't the best, but it made for an audio treat that would compliment the video she had taken earlier. Once again starting the recording, she watched the exchange with peaking interest.

"Do you have the money, Gin?" Keito's voice sounded honeyed, as if her normal voice would be too harsh for normal conversation.

"Yes. Just don't be so harsh on me; no thanks to you, I don't have many members left to contribute to your dues."

Keito's eyes narrowed at the bold statements. She knew full well that the PSC had decimated the newspaper club for its actions last year, and needed no reminder. That was the exact reason he still had to pay the full price, and quite frankly, his tone didn't help the memory now dredged from the depths of her blackened mind.

"Watch your tongue, pup. Any more of that and I'll have to punish you. You got that clear, mutt?!"

Keito's easily provoked wrath was noted meticulously by the snow woman hiding a mere meter above their heads. In the gapped conversation, Mizore was able to piece together at least some of the history between the Committee and the newspaper club. Perhaps Gin had seen the Committee's abuses last year, and being the energetic yet unknowing first year he was, had tried to stop it. Unfortunately for him, he was no match for the combined strength of the Committee. Presumably he had survived merely because of his species, but the other members weren't so lucky.

"Oh, and Kenji? Deal with the intruder above us. I despise eavesdroppers." Mizore's eyes shot wide open – how the hell did she know she was up there? There was only one person on this world who had been able to detect her, and that was Tsukune. Not even her mother was able to tell where she was if she didn't want to be seen.

"Hai, Keito-sama." Quickly moving to avoid whatever the Kenji person was going to do, Mizore made a break for it as quietly as she could. Once a good distance away, she dropped from the vents and headed back to the dorm, conveniently tucking the camera into her front pockets. The grunt made his way past her, but Mizore was able to blend in with the ambient student body enough to escape him. Detected once or not, she was still the best when it came to stealth. After a full five minutes of searching, the guy gave up and sullenly headed back to his master's lair, fearing his imminent punishment.

Moka felt most at home when she was around books. Growing up in a mansion big enough to seat an entire clan (which was the original purpose back when vampire clans still all liked to live under one roof – now, to help escape suspicion, most members only lived with three or four others in a separate building), young Moka had had nothing to do but train and read. Kokoa wanted nothing else but constant fighting, and the others were either too lost in their own world or conveniently 'away' to spend much time with their third youngest sister. Their father was also away, but his reason was clan meetings, important business trips, and the like. Issa Shuzen was a very busy man, and had no time for simple things like raising children. He had tried hiring nannies and even tried using a godmother to help raise them, but both efforts were in vain. The girls had no mind for anyone but their father, and even then they hated him for leaving them alone for most of their lives. The constant absence and later the involvement with Fairy Tale had driven Kahlua to recess into a childlike state and Akua, being the oldest, was drafted as the family's assassin, and thus thrown headfirst into her own special madness. Only Moka and Kokoa had escaped unscathed, mostly because of their youth, but in part thanks to their order in the familial chain. Then again, that didn't stop Kokoa from developing an unhealthy attachment to her onee-chan, but that was beside the point.

The academy's library was admirable for an educational establishment, complete with tomes on the history of both ayashi and human races of all kinds, as well as some contemporary works by (mostly) reliable sources. Variable covers and questionable titles lined row upon row of beautiful books, and Moka couldn't be happier with her self-assigned task. It didn't help that she could easily pick out which ones were useless or out of date and which ones were too valuable to be put in a public library, but she cast aside all habitual notions and used her hidden talent to pick out the book that held the information she needed. Walking through the isles like a trained connoisseur, she effortlessly found the section devoted on academy rules, regulations, activities, clubs, and other such things. Now was the hard part. She didn't think the PSC fell under the 'club' category, but a ledger on school activity may contain some valuable info. Then again, it may be censored by the subject itself, so she wasn't sure if that was the best route. Stumped, she fell upon the last hope of finding anything useful quickly; the librarian.

The academy librarian was one of the few staff that actually retained some of his demonic features daily and got away with it, because as with human schools, the library was rarely frequented by any students. A top hat rested at an angle on the shadowy figure's head, and shiny, luminescent strands drifted aimlessly around covered eyes that seemed like they could bore into your very soul. They burned with an ethereal fire, and the skin surrounding them was wrinkled, pale, and obviously held together by supernatural forces. The only thing keeping him from being ridiculed by Mikogami was his sensual attire; a fine suit and pristine white gloves adorned his skeletal body at all times, hiding what normally would have been a gruesome sight. Not many Grim Reapers were found in the youkai world, but this retired harbinger of death had found peace guarding the wealth of knowledge available to all young and (questionably) aspiring monsters.

"Yes, what would you like?" rasped the ridiculously old being.

Moka wasn't afraid. None of the staff would dare to harm one of the students; the headmaster valued the students of his academy as he would value his own children. Who knows; maybe some of his children actually did attend. No one ever saw his face, so nobody would know. Any staff member who harmed a student would face the wrath of a resident Dark Lord faster than they could regret their actions. The gym teacher was a good example; the man had a history of abusing girls, and when his habit manifested again, he was quickly and efficiently torn to pieces (figuratively) and kicked out of the academy with no hope of ever reclaiming his previous stature or dignity.

"Excuse me, but do you have a book containing information on the Public Security Committee?"

The visible muscles surrounding the ghastly figure's mouth tightened with a creak, making the animated skull smile. "Why, of course, little one! I have records of _all _affairs regarding the, hmm, shady Committee, hehe! Please, follow _me!" _With that, the eccentric ghoul leaped over the librarian's desk and danced over to a particular section that Moka was sure she had checked may times beforehand for anything relevant. Following the sound of the twisting fellow's brand new (or it sounded like it) dress shoes, she found the librarian on a movable ladder that reached to the very ceiling of the room, with the sensually dressed Reaper prancing about from shelf to shelf, displacing old books and catching them with a shoe, a finger, the nook of his arm, and finally making his way to the end. With all the care of a bomb defuser cutting a delicate wire, he extracted a rather large and dusty book from the shelf, and kicked his way back to the outer shelves, gracefully replacing all the books he had shaken off. Sliding down and landing with a somersault, the librarian produced the book from one of the folds of his suit and offered it to Moka as a suitor would a ring to a duchess. Eyebrow raised, Moka warily took the book from him and went over to the table in the center of the room, saying thank you just before she left. There sure were some odd fellows in the academy, of that she was certain, but the librarian put all the others to shame. Perhaps it was his solitude with these books that had driven him to become so silly.

Back on track, Moka blew dust off the cover, tentatively opening the book to its table of contents. She only dared search with her eyes; with all this dust, merely wiping a finger across a page may damage it. And being such a meticulous caretaker of books, she would rather stab herself than bring avoidable damage to a book. Ah, there it was! A full list of Security Committee members! The same eyebrow raised again; with the age of this book, there was no way the list would be current. Curiosity driving her forward, she checked anyway. The list revealed a full two pages of names, each unknown to her... wait, was that Keito's at the middle, there? As she watched, a name two places below Keito's burned red and disappeared. Interesting... apparently that person was no longer a member of the Committee, or had died. The gap was closed automatically with the names below it moving up to fill the space. An enchanted book, eh? Not many of these were readily available, as they could be dangerous to anyone who were foe to those listed in such books. An extremely lucky find on her part for discovering the book, then! Just now remembering her notepad, she started writing the names in the book down for future reference. Once she got to the top of the first page from working bottom up from the second, she noticed the topmost name's surname was shadowy, blurred, as if it weren't meant to be shown. This meant no one actually knew the person's last name, even in the academy's records. She underlined that particular name. It was probably of great importance.

Having gathered all the information she needed, she closed the book as slowly as her patience allowed and returned it upon the librarian's desk, whom was bent over a table scribbling madly on what looked to be an ancient ledger. She thought about telling him that her business here was finished, but then again he might do something even more outlandish than before, and thought better of it. He didn't even hear the door open and close, even though it was rather large.

Moka made her way back in the direction of the dorms so she could tell the others of what she found. Maybe they had also finished their parts of the investigation, and hopefully before Tsukune woke up, too. It would do him some good knowing that his friends were there to help him, no matter what the problem. Pleased with her findings (albeit under strange circumstances), Outer Moka let her guard down, thinking happy thoughts about their impending rendezvous. Inner Moka would never have done such a thing, but her thoughts were elsewhere, too; her vigilance in keeping her outer self in line had become lax recently. Point in case, as soon as she rounded the corner someone grabbed her, put a hand over her mouth, and tried to choke her into submission.

Inner Moka's serpentine red eyes flashed open in awareness. Her body was in danger, and all because of a single mistake. Let her guard down for a mere moment and she was already paying the price for it. So be it then; never again would she let their attention wander. Quickly barking off commands to the personality currently controlling her body, she moved Outer Moka into action.

"**Omote! Overcome your panic! You are strong enough to escape him, now do so! Bite his hand, then elbow his kidney – right there, that's right. You have to be quick, or he'll grab hold of you again and you're going to have a harder time. As soon as his grip relaxes, spin around and put a foot into his shin, make sure he can't follow you. Go, before you run out of air!"**

Outer Moka didn't know if she was actually capable of escaping her assailant's grasp, but she did what Ura-chan told her; it was almost always for the best. Rearing her head back to get a good biting angle, she chomped down as soon as her fangs were cleared, drawing a copious amount of blood from the man's fingers. Barely remembering to elbow his kidney, she fumbled for a second before gathering all the strength she could muster and shoved her elbow right into the weak spot underneath his ribs. A howl of pain sounded right beside her ears, but she ignored it and wrestled free. A quick snap from Inner Moka and she kicked the guy's shin as she was told, and ran off as fast as she could.

Panting heavily as she stood outside the entrance to the girls' dorm, Moka tried her best to catch her breath. It was close, dangerously close, the circumstances of her escape. She also recognized the clothing he wore from her brief glance as she kicked him. A PSC member, probably trying to abduct her for some nefarious end. She needed to find the others, and fast. If the PSC were out for her, then they were definitely out for the others, especially Tsukune. Her breath recovered, she started to go in – and promptly had a door slammed into her face.

"Kurumu, what's going on?!" The succubus had ran out, a frantic look in her eyes, in her rush accidentally throwing the door open. In fact, it still took the girl a few seconds to realize one of the people she was looking for was right in her face.

"Moka! I was just looking for you! I need to tell you something... Tsukune's missing, and the Committee's after us! I found this letter in your room that was warning of 'punishment' if we kept investigating the Committee!"

Moka stopped short. It made sense now – the PSC knew what they were up to, and were reciprocating their prying in the only effective way; intimidation. It was a damn good thing she had got away from that creep.

Mizore ran up to them, breathing heavily as well. She relayed her story to the others, and Kurumu and Moka told her of their encounters. All three were surprised that the Committee already knew of their actions and were so swift in taking them down. The only piece missing now was Tsukune; Kurumu had found him missing, yet there was no sign of a struggle. Did that mean he was just out, or was he taken before he woke up? If someone had managed to get into Moka's room and leave a note with no disturbances, then they could certainly restrain a sleeping Tsukune and haul him off somewhere. Worry blossomed in their hearts as they imagined all the possible things that they could be doing to him. If he had just got up to walk around or something, he probably would have told one of them, or they would've seen him. After a bit of debate between the three, they decided splitting up would be a very bad idea and went to go look around for him together.

Tsukune's head was swimming, and when he flexed his muscles he found that his hands were bound, as were his feet. His captors even went the extra mile and had rope tying his torso to the rather thick chair he was sitting in. Concentrating on more than one thing hurt his brain more than swaying his head, so he tried not to think. Using as little brainpower as he dared, he made a mental checklist, made possible by courtesy of his training with Inner Moka, even though it wasn't as much as he would've liked. Can you see? He tried opening his eyes, but he couldn't see anything, so that meant he either couldn't tell his eyes were open or he was blindfolded. He hoped for the latter; the former might mean his eyes were missing, and he didn't know if his vampiric regeneration could fix that. Can you feel your body move? Another flex of his arms and legs said that while he could feel his major muscles move, he couldn't tell if his extremities were. Coupled with his swimming head, that meant he was drugged. Definitely not good. That also meant his captors knew he was somewhat dangerous and wanted him properly restrained. Are you feeling pain anywhere? Other than his drug-induced headache, he was fine. Which made him wonder just how much dope would be needed to drug a vampire...

Now for the most important question. Can you escape? Flexing for the third time, Tsukune tested his bonds in truth, bending his wrists this way and that, and trying to spread his legs apart. No dice. Just what the heck are they using to keep him down?! The bonds didn't feel like rope... but it didn't matter now. He was stuck, and there was nothing he could do about it. Unless... he tried summoning his youki to release the vampire within, but a huge bolt of pain shot straight through his brain and went all the way down his core. A good few minutes passed before the throbbing faded, leaving him sweating and panting. Okay... that was definitely _not _a good idea. They knew he was sealed, too, then. Most definitely not good. Leaning back into the chair, he tried to remember as carefully as he can just how he got into this situation. A few moments, and nothing happened. He couldn't tell if it was the drugs or just fatigue, but eventually the memory came.

_Some voices were breaching his sleep, which meant it was morning and that he was going to wake up soon. He thought he heard the words 'Public Safety Committee' a couple of times, but then again he was still asleep and couldn't process it. Some other words were said, some fumbling went about, and they were gone. Oh well, that meant he could sleep fully again. Sleep..._

_A while later, his mind became semi-aware once more and heard the door's lock being forced. That was new; the people living in the room wouldn't need to force the lock. Bringing his cognitive functions to bare, Tsukune opened one eye, trying to catch a glimpse of who was breaking into Moka's room. It could be anybody; stalkers, enemies, pervs... all kinds of people vied for Moka's attention and/or business. Unfortunately the sun rose on the boys' windows first, so the room was still relatively dark, and he could only make out figures with one sleepy eye. He chose not to move, as to not alert them to his presence. Intruders stumbling upon a certain drowsy Tsukune might be a very, very grave mistake. He heard ruckus to his right, where the bed and __dressers were. Searching the room, figures. Now if he could just figure out what their motives were..._

"_Leave the note on the bedside table. She won't miss it."_

"_Yes, sir."_

_Sir? Note? Confusing. The ruckus stopped, meaning they either did or didn't find what they were looking for. Some started to leave, and a now fully awake Tsukune's heart started racing, hoping against hope that they wouldn't stop, or worse, step on him._

_Damn hope._

_A heavy foot slammed into his thigh and tripped over it, making the foot and its owner take a similarly heavy fall to the floor. Instantly becoming rigid in anticipation for the inevitable attack, a mere second of inactivity passed, making the moment drag on for what seemed like a miniature eternity. But instead of gradually coming back like Tsukune had always read about, the intruders were on him in an instant, barely giving him a chance to fight back before they tried to take him down. Surging to get to his feet lest he be taken for sure, he tried dragging the attackers off of him through sheer force. Which didn't work. If he let this go much longer, he would tire out long before any of these hooligans, sealed vampire or not. Only one option was left open to him; turning back and kicking one weak guy who had fell off during the bull rush in the face, Tsukune charged toward the window. Opening it and starting to climb in one fell swoop, he managed to get out and fall down the four stories with his entourage of attackers still in tow. At least three of the thugs had followed him out, while the one one the floor and the leader of the group remained._

"_Clean up this mess, then report back to headquarters. Understood? Make it seem like nothing ever happened. Any mistakes, and I'll deliver your punishment personally."_

"_Yes, Kuyou-sama!" The poor lad was shivering madly._

_A contemptuous hmph and a quick survey later, Kuyou turned and left. He had other matters to attend to. Besides, the men tasked with capturing the Aono boy were good officers, seasoned and tough. This new recruit was just back-up, but he can serve as the clean up crew. He would be dead if he messed up something so simple as masking their entry anyway._

_Tsukune certainly hadn't expected the fall from the four story window to hurt as much as it did; mainly, it felt like a mere two meter drop. The only things that would have made it uncomfortable, and did, were the three morons still hanging onto him like he was a lifeline. Of course, knocking them off while in free fall was easier said than done, but as soon as they were on the ground Tsukune did his best to kick off his assailants, but it wasn't until he remembered to release his true form that he was able to summon the power to shake them. Youki bleeding from every pore of his skin, Tsukune threw the one on his leg off with ease, sending him through a few trees. The others froze, second thoughts racing through their minds. But punishment would be so much worse than anything a strong youkai could do to them, so once again their efforts were redoubled. Tsukune noticed, and did a diving roll, finally getting them off of his torso. Diving once again to get some distance between them, Tsukune spun on his rising foot to face the monsters, not giving them even one instant of vulnerability after the rather embarrassing encounter in the room. _

_Now fully ready, the monsters all recovered and regrouped, trying to use their superior numbers to overpower him. It didn't surprise him that they weren't very good at fighting, especially considering they almost solely relied on their sheer numbers to take out single opponents. It was sickening to the vampire, who had relied on no one but himself to fend for his own life the entire time he was at the academy. A disgusted expression had unconsciously taken form on his face, making his opponents snarl in fury. Unskilled or not, unspoken insults to the PSC were not taken lightly. Another second of anticipation for Tsukune and uncertainty for the PSC stretched out before the three charged clumsily, trying to bull rush him into submission. The only saving grace they retained was that they stuck together in a triangle shape instead of a line, making their numbers stronger. What they expected was that their quarry would freeze up, unsure of how to approach an attack like that like a deer in headlights. What they did _not _expect was the boy lowering himself to almost half their height, and slowly backing up. The combined charge faltered just a bit, giving Tsukune the opening he needed – and was hoping for – to take them down. When the two parties were a mere meter from each other Tsukune quickly sidestepped to the left, but enough to still be in the way of the side charger. Bracing for the impact, the vampire took the poor guy shoulder to chest, flipping the charger over his shoulder using his momentum, and drove an elbow into the guy's gut as he fell with him, trying to take him out quickly enough to deal with the other two. The painful intake of breath that followed was signal enough that he would be down for a bit. Rolling backwards using the last of the momentum in one fell swoop, Tsukune was back on his feet in time to see that the other two, seeing their comrade down for the count, split up and were now trying to take him on from both sides. Lousy fighters they may be, but they weren't stupid enough to try the same approach twice. Well, the exact same one twice. Tsukune had to move a bit quicker this time, but the results would leave both of them on the ground, and he could take them someplace where they could heal without bothering anybody._

_Lowering himself as much as possible once more, Tsukune prepared to jump when the time was right. He had trained for situations like this with Kurumu and Mizore when Inner Moka didn't feel like training him herself for the day; Inner Moka had told him that a warrior is best prepared when he can take on any multitude of opponents, as no one ever fought fair if they wanted to win. Even though Mizore and Kurumu weren't the best fighters themselves (not yet), their numbers served their purpose. Not long after many embarrassing encounters and blood rushing to faces, Tsukune had figured out how to deal with two, three, and even four opponents at once. Of course, he hadn't had any real practice since then, but the three at once had worked out well, so two would go smoothly, right? _

_The thug to his left wasn't as dumb as the others; he realized that Tsukune was a major threat, and that a simple charge would not take him down. He knew that he had to get close to inject the needle into him, but how to go about that would be either painful, a failure, or both. But with the way it was going, it would be a straight up failure. Such a thing was not an option, so he readied the needle from a little pouch inside his sleeve before the boy noticed. Once his dumber-than-most partner was on the other side (because honestly he didn't know how to do anything else, so the smart one told him to do this; he'd have to work this carefully anyway), he charged after the ingrained two second delay that was embedded in their brains for synch but didn't put all of his might into it; he'd need to be a split second behind for his partner to make contact and therefore a window. Five seconds, four seconds... his heart was beating rapidly, and the guy was just crouching there, low to the ground and not a worry in his head. If he messed this up, he'd be in a world of hurt not after the inevitable takedown, but after the similarly inevitable and much more painful backlash he would receive once being dragged back to headquarters. Their boss did not accept failure, and was intolerant regardless of the excuse. Ease up on the speed, and ouch... the guy just put an open palm right in his gut – there! The other open palm didn't meet its expected resistance, and his stance was off; the thug quickly extracted the needle from his sleeve with a flick of his wrist, grabbing it with sure hands and brought it down on the guy's shoulder. Glee filled his mind as he saw the miniscule point sink into Tsukune's shoulder and the plunger go down, injecting its potent contents into the vampire's system. Tsukune realized the other guy wasn't in harmony with the first's charge, and readjusted to put his other hand in a swinging uppercut to take him down, but the needle was already in and he could immediately feel its effects._

_The strike landed, sending the poor thug a good five meters backwards before crashing into a tree trunk, down for the count as his other comrades were. Dizziness immediately set in, making Tsukune sway on his feet. He tried to make his way back to the dorm, but the drug was powerful and he was on his knees in seconds. The feeling leached from his limbs and he felt as if he were becoming nothing, then felt a sinking feeling all throughout his body. His last memory was of a vision of three figures walking onto the battle scene, each with their hands held behind their backs in empirical gestures. Then he saw no more._

Sighing heavily, Tsukune regretted his lack of tangible fighting experience. If he was better at it, he wouldn't be stuck here with binding on his wrists and ankles and he wouldn't be drugged so effectively he couldn't think without hurting himself. Pathetic, and a shame for a vampire, but he was no Inner Moka. It hadn't been too long ago that he was a human boy, weak even for his species, walking into the door of Youkai Academy with no clue what he was doing and ripe for the picking of any carnivorous ayashi in the school. All he could do now was wait, and it set his teeth on edge. Tsukune had flaws, he knew this, but patience was a blatant one that was never tested. Always ready for action, waiting for whatever was planned for him was both boring and sigh intensive. Testing his restraints once more, he wondered if his sealed strength was enough to weaken them if he strained for long enough. Sure, he was held tightly enough to keep a bull down, but he was a vampire through and through, and failure once was a failure too many. Tsukune would not give up if it meant giving him a chance at freedom.

He strained against the cuffs and knots with renewed vigor, eager to try to break them. Vitally precious blood seeped from his bare wrists and ankles, for he was wearing nothing but his khakis that were cut off at the knee, but he paid no mind to it. It wasn't much, and his regeneration would take care of minor abrasions. He kept on, doing his best, his grunts ringing out in the darkened chamber.

Tsukune's strained sounds of pain and effort rang out through the large wooden, but well reinforced headquarters of the PSC. Kuyou could hear them as easily as if he were right next to him, which thanks to the intricate maze-like network of enchantments wriggling through the building, basically meant he was. It was music to his ears. He barely restrained himself from going to the chamber and starting his torture personally, but it would not do if he bore marks of torture as he was paraded out to the main yard and burned at the stake for his crime. Humans were not allowed in Youkai Academy under any circumstances, even if they wore convincing magical guises. To quell the remaining resistance, the boy served as the perfect bait to lure the girls who were investigating their operations to their home turf, and if all went to plan, eradicate them in orderly fashion. If they proved an easy enough capture, he'd send them to the stake to burn with their friend at the same time. Criminals and their co-conspirators must pay for their misdeeds, and the more they suffered, the more justice was done.

**Author's Note: **This honestly took a lot longer than I thought it would, mostly because it was left alone for awhile as I got used to my first job. I apologize, but it's hard to think when you've got a pounding headache and aching limbs. Hopefully it still matches the quality of my previous chapters, and once again I thank you all many times over for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing my work. P.S. Reviews really boost my self esteem, which helps me write better! No need if you want, but the more the better! Doesn't have to be praise, but I want to know your thoughts! Vincent.


	18. Have to Find Them

Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Just don't copy from this and I won't have to hunt you down!

Moka and the others were frustrated that they had let Tsukune slip out from under their noses so easily. The trio had already searched the whole academy, the dorms, the surrounding areas of those buildings, the cliffs, and even went to the bus stop. Yet he was nowhere to be found. Whomever had kidnapped him (and Inner Moka was still fuming about his idiocy) had done a good job of covering it up. Mizore was only a smidgeon more reserved, but Kurumu was by this point up in arms and angry.

"Where the hell could they have taken him?!" Kurumu yelled to no one in particular. Nobody knew a good answer, and didn't have the nerve or patience to placate her, so they left the succubus to her fuming. A great many profanities and grumbling soon followed after.

After thinking on places to look, a potentially great idea popped into Mizore's head. What if they asked around instead of just looking for him? Just because they hadn't seen him doesn't mean someone else hasn't. The snow maiden told the others, but once again they were stumped; who would've seen such a thing? No specific people came to mind, but Moka thought it prudent that they give the faculty a try. The headmaster was a bit too creepy to ask, and probably wouldn't answer even if they did, so he was out of the question. Moka went off to ask the weird librarian to see if he knew anything, even though she wanted the group to stick together, but it wasn't like she was going far or for very long. Before leaving, she told everyone to meet up in front of the school entrance to see if they had anything useful. Kurumu went to ask if Ms. Nekonome had seen any goings-on, while Mizore decided on asking the general populace. She didn't like the job, but she could be very persuasive if she wanted to.

Half an hour passed and the three returned with their findings. Moka had been thoroughly creeped out by some weird stalker kid who kept following her and did a bad job of covering it up, but the librarian, being stuck in his lair all day, had seen nothing, and there was no enchanted books in stock that could find him. Kurumu had only gotten past two sentences before the homeroom teacher had busted out a fish sandwich and promptly ignored her. Mizore had dug through countless idiots and quite a few stuck up jerks, but had actually found a tidbit that might be a bit of help.

"This one kid with some weird getup was hanging around the headmaster's office door, and when I asked him if he knew the where Tsukune was, he just looked at me like I was an idiot and started walking away. But he said to 'check around the woods north of the academy, you might find some interesting things around there.'"

Kurumu smiled one of her normal smiles for the first time since yesterday. "Great! Now we have a limited search area to look in -"

"He was kinda cute, too. Looked a bit like Tsukune when he's all vampire-mode."

The other two sweat dropped, unsure of how to address that. They both knew the snow woman was deeply attached to Tsukune, but they didn't think she would say something like that. Both decided to just ignore the statement while Kurumu started to drag them away to the northern part of the property. They had started to do that a lot when Mizore said stuff like that; the girl didn't mind, but always wondered why the other two looked so awkward after some of her more odd statements. The northern part of the academy's section of the youkai realm was heavily wooded, albeit as dead as the rest of it, but there was no development other than a few sparsely spaced shacks that could have been there since the dawn of time. It was difficult to navigate if one was a grounded creature, but the likes of Kurumu could easily fly over the area to find any points of interest. Case being such, the succubus acted as the other two's scout while they tried to look for hidden secrets beneath the branches where no avian could see. Some interesting things popped up, like a patch of blood that when brought to Moka's nose, must have been months old, as well as a tiny child's doll that was stuck in the knot of a larger than normal tree, but other than those incidents nothing was found. Even when Moka tried using her youki detector (limited, but still there), all that was found was a maniacal bat and a feral fox-like creature that ran away as soon as Moka got close to it. An hour or so passed, and frustration was boiling in the three's hearts. Had Mizore's information been junk? There was no sign of any headquarters anywhere, and hope was dying fast. Going back to the drawing board would be the nail in the coffin, but it was starting to seem like there was no other choice. After all, the place was huge, and unless they personally investigated each and every slice of territory that encompassed the island, they would never find him. By that point he may be broken or worse.

"Why don't we just take a break for the day? It's not like he's going to... like he's going to be any worse off for another twenty four hours, right?" Kurumu suggested to the others as she came back down for the twentieth time that day. All the flying had put a number on her back, and it wasn't as worth it to her as it was the others.

"No!" Both Mizore and Moka shouted in unison. They looked at each other, surprised, and looked back at Kurumu. "We can't abandon Tsukune-kun," Moka went on. "If he's truly been kidnapped, then he's in danger, and not just from simple pain. He could be tortured as we speak, but that's not the real problem, even though it's horrible. The PSC never go after somebody with such effort unless they think they're a serious threat. And if they think Tsukune's a serious threat... they might kill him."

Moka had already known this in her heart, and drew upon the inherent fear and concern for the drive to continue on, while Mizore felt the same but was already moving. Silly she may be, but she was just as cold and calculating as her mother when the situation deemed it fit, and thus knew the consequences.

Kurumu hadn't thought of this, however, and her eyes had went wide as soon as Moka mentioned the word 'killing.' She looked away, ashamed now that she suggest giving up while Tsukune's very life may depend on their intervention. The guilt ravaged her conscience, and served in the end to motivate her more to go through with the search and end this thing once and for all. Kurumu thought about the consequences and potential backlash from failing to find the foolish guy for a few minutes while Mizore and Moka stared at her with level eyes.

"I was wrong, okay? We need to find him, and soon..." Kurumu muttered, but met their stares with resolve. Their gazes softened, but all three of them grew serious once more as they returned to their intensive search. Most of the northern forest was already pored over at length, so little remained, but the proverbial needle could still as of yet be very difficult to find. Kurumu took to the skies once more as Mizore and Moka debated where to go next. They decided to finish off the last section by circling around the left half and then repeating the motion for the right.

Moka was running low; what with all the shenanigans going on and the fights and all, she hadn't had time to feed from Tsukune, and her last two reserve blood packs had mysteriously disappeared some time before. The anemia wasn't bad, at first, as she could go for about two days with no serious consequences, but the strain from their combined efforts to retrieve their wayward friend had drained her more than usual. By this point, her legs were feeling a bit numb, not much, but noticeable, and a small headache was setting in. It didn't bode well; she wasn't comfortable asking her friends for it, because such a thing was something she felt was intrinsic to Tsukune and Tsukune alone; his blood was best and he was almost always there, and thus it was only natural to feed from him. If she kept up her activities for much longer, she may be hospitalized within two or three hours. Damn her demanding and specific needs...

Mizore had wandered quite a distance away from Moka so that they covered more ground individually but stayed within calling distance, so Moka didn't have to hide her weakness as she usually did when it got to this point. The trees were thicker here than the rest of the terrain they had covered, and it made for a good place to stay out of sight from her friends. Leaning back against a particularly large tree, she rested her head on the dead bark and let her mind wander. Where could he have vanished to? It's not like there's so little area that Kurumu couldn't see from the sky – all the members of the PSC had to be able to enter their HQ with little difficulty and still get to and from the academy rather quickly, so it had to be close... but where?

Her nose twitched, catching a faint scent a little ways off. She called to Mizore, wondering what it could be. Within moments the snow woman was behind her, creeping the hell out of Moka, but she didn't let it show. She was more or less used to it now, and besides, Tsukune had taken quite a liking to her, so she didn't see reason to be hostile or indifferent. She was nice, which helped. The important thing was that she also was able to handle herself in a fight, and without Ura-chan's strength, she felt like she needed the support. Walking toward the source of the strange scent, she and Mizore trekked through dead shrubbery and fallen branches. The source wasn't far, but it wouldn't have been visible had they kept walking along. Once Moka got to it, she noticed two things; one, the source had helped them discover a faint but very noticeable and very heart-relieving trail that wound and snaked like a cobra amid the decay.

The other thing was the smell was of Tsukune's blood. Immediately Moka screamed for Kurumu to get down as quick as she could, and with the succubus easily spotting the frantic jumping around and waving the vampiress was doing, came to earth almost as fast as Mizore had on land.

"What is it - oh, no..." she whispered, fear blossoming in her heart for the first time. She saw that a portion of the trail was spotted with circular drops of a dark, brownish substance that had been dried for some time. Each of them knew what it was, but Moka's was a mixed reaction. Relief for the fact that they were finally on the right trail and that they could get to Tsukune. Fear for the fact that spots of blood meant he had been hurt somehow before even being imprisoned in their stronghold. Anger that the fiends in the hellhole had dared to hurt her best friend that she had ever had.

"_**Your fear is useless – cast it aside. Anger is slightly useful, but not right now. Let go of it for a second. Relief is a waste of time if you actually want to save his ass." **_Moka welcomed Ura-chan's intervention for this particular situation, but it was still cold as ever and resentment was there. Mustering up her determination, Moka led the trio down the trail to finally locate the place where their friend was being held. Now that they were actually on the path, it was much easier to see where it led. In fact, had they stumbled upon one of the distinct symbols littering the trees or part of the worn dirt, they would have had no troubles following it from there. The thing that had kept it hidden was not a twisting and turning path, but rather the trail kept close to the edge of the forest, and was narrow but straight. They would have had to skirted the edges of the forest to find it.

It was only a hundred feet or so further along the line when they came upon (or rather, walked straight into) an invisible barrier. Moka, unfortunately being the one in front, had had her face uncomfortably pressed against it like glass. The only difference was the ripple in magic that spread from the impact.

"Wha... what was that?" Kurumu asked, a confused expression on her face. Being young, she hadn't had much experience with barriers or other magical contraptions. After recovering, Moka poked the clear wall with her fingers, trying to see what kind it was. If it was simply a physical barrier, strength would be required to break it, but if it were illusory or a trap, prolonged physical contact would either drop the illusion or activate some nefarious device meant to cause harm. Inner Moka advised her outer self to exercise caution, and the advice was well heeded. The wrong move could either endanger themselves or the chances of rescuing Tsukune.

Mizore grew bored, and promptly drew a huge ice blade and plunged it straight through the magic with little effort, and widened the blade until she could fit herself through the gap. A wide eyed Moka and Kurumu watched in awe and surprise as the snow woman walked through the barrier and disappeared. Gulping, Kurumu activated her claws and tried to do the same, and was met with similar results. Seeing no immediate danger, she widened the barrier and let Moka and herself through.

X-X

A shadowed figure standing away from a large but plain desk opened his eyes. His vulpine features were distinguishable despite the lack of candles, lamps, or other sources of light available in the small office. Kuyou liked to operate in the dark for his dark business, but he chalked it up to insufficient funding. In any case, his alarm signal set for the barrier had been tripped, and he knew at once that the boy called Tsukune's friends had finally found his secret headquarters. Took them long enough; if their sleuthing skills were anything to go by, they wouldn't make it past the first few obstacles when they arrived in the building itself. A pity, though; Kuyou liked to draw things out as long as he could. Justice was best served in full, and was not to be wasted.

He called in a few of his officers, looked at them, and with naught a word, sent them to their designated defense positions. Honestly, if the little trio couldn't handle some of the PSC's grunts, then he would be hugely disappointed. The Aono guy had managed to take down three of his men and escape one of his top lieutenants, but that was expected of a mutant.

Kuyou despised anything that was not pure; be it evil, sycophants, or youkai species. To be impure was an insult to creation itself, as impurity was not the goal of the perfect world. Thus, when he first learned of hybrids between ayashi and humans, he grew so furious that a nearby tree had instantaneously caught fire and burned to ash, while the surrounding trees burned to a lesser degree. He suspected Tsukune to be a hybrid, as he had known that the boy was not normal when he first arrived at the academy. His actions were so human-like and feeble that he might have been mistaken for a prey species, but not a week later he was getting into fights with relatively powerful youkai that should have demolished such a weak creature. Thus, the only conclusion was an external source providing the kid power, and that meant impurity. The human story that he had concocted was just an excuse to deliver punishment to a relatively unknown student. As soon as he had enough solid evidence to make Tsukune seem unworthy, Kuyou had set forth the capture team to take him down. Finally having the impudent fool in his grasp made him feel triumphant, and the final part of the plan formulated specifically to take dissidents down was almost in play. It made Kuyou giddy; the inevitable crushing of their hopes and the looks on their faces as their comrades die around them was the most decadent treat to the powerful leader of the Committee. Oh, how delightful! Time was his ally; it would not take too long to dispose of the fools. Kuyou turned and looked out the tiny window that let in a small amount of dead light. He couldn't see them from here, but it was nice to see their killing grounds.

Tsukune noticed when something new had happened while trying, mostly in vain, to escape his bonds. Whatever toxins they had injected him with still had him in their grip, so the full extent of his powers was restricted to him. Blood slowly dripped from his wrists from the shallow gashes he had gouged in them from straining against the near unbreakable bonds for the last hour or so. It didn't bother him as much as it probably should have, but his mind was elsewhere; sealed or not, he could still detect three new energy signatures that were in no way trying to hide their existence entering the compound, and if he was reading them correctly, identified them as his friends. While he was glad that they had found him and was proud of them for looking for him, he also feared for their safety. They were in the belly of the beast, as it were, and unless they were prepared for the worst, they might be captured, as he was, or killed. That set Tsukune's teeth on edge; getting his friends killed was one of the worst things he could ever let happen, and he would not let it go to chance. He had to escape, and soon.

Moka, Mizore, and Kurumu knew that the one story building in front of them was more than it appeared to be; it had to be, considering a whole illusion barrier had been set in front of it and it housed the entirety of the Public Safety Committee. After all, it appeared to be just big enough to house a few offices, but not much else. If they were hiding Tsukune in the depths of the building, it wouldn't be this small. Moka advised the others to stay on their guard; it wouldn't make do to get themselves captured when they were so close to achieving their goal. Each thought it would be best to stick together, for if they were separated it would make them weak and defenseless.

Mizore despised not being able to sneak along as she normally would have by this point, but she understood the necessity of sticking together. Of course, if she didn't want to be seen nobody would be able to spot her or see her, but that was beside the point. Drawing upon the deep winter hidden in her soul, Mizore brought forth her true yuki-onna form, hair freezing to bluish ice and fingers becoming iced over with meter long blades. Kurumu followed suit, seeing the need for offense, but poor Moka could only make do with her own inherent strength. The snow maiden looked at the low building from every possible angle, using her considerable breaking and entering skills to analyze the best entry plan. Going through the front would be too obvious, but then again going in from the back door would be just as obvious. Nobody ever left the back door unchecked, no matter how juvenile some of the members were. Kuyou was smart, despite the intelligence being consumed with insanity. So, Mizore decided the best entry way would be the ceiling. She doubted many of the PSC's members could fly, and they had a handy succubus that could lift them to the roof. Of course, when she mentioned the idea to Kurumu, she groaned, but knew the snow woman was right, and made for takeoff.

Moka didn't like being hoisted around like some feckless cargo, but it was a necessary evil to efficiently get into the building without being attacked. Mizore didn't mind it, but she didn't have an alter ego inside her mind who's pride was hurt with every minute offense, nonsensical or otherwise. Once on the roofs, the three noticed that the place was actually quite large, and spread further back into the forest. So they used length over height... an odd choice, but then again they were in the middle of a forest. Looking around, Mizore found very few entrances to the inside, except extremely small ports most likely used for fires. Luckily for them there was a sizable vent located near the east side that looked like they could fit through. Making their way over to it, Mizore noticed it was an air vent, most likely to release the hot air that no doubt built up in the secluded place on the hotter days. Not that the temperature changed much in the regulated realm, but humidity still made its way into the weather factors.

Kurumu was absolutely disgusted at the idea of crawling through vents that may or may not have been cleaned in the last fifty years, but when Mizore calmly told her of the possible welcome party waiting on the front doorstep, she was more accepting of the alternative. Being beaten to a pulp and possibly killed by thirty or forty grunts was worse (albeit not by much in Kurumu's eyes) than getting a bit dirty. One by one they crawled in, and tried not to make any noise doing it. Mizore had no troubles doing that, but both of them had to help the succubus be quiet while getting in. Once all was well, they made their way through the vents, trying to see which exit was best for their plans. Once or twice they encountered a few grilled vents where they heard some PSC chatting, but all they overheard was useless tidbits about their day and other unnecessary things. After another ten minutes though, they stumbled upon some higher-ups that were discussing their prisoners – apparently Tsukune wasn't the only one they were holding in this hellhole. The trio stopped, intent on listening to their conversation:

"So what about the guys we've been holding for the last week? Are we gonna keep them here forever?"

"No. Kuyou is either going to punish them until they are deemed cleaned or killed. If they've stayed alive this long it's only because they can handle the punishment."

"Huh. And how's about that new guy that just came in? Wasn't he a real toughie to catch?"

The other guy tensed up, obviously agitated by the response. "He's a priority one prisoner and will only be dealt with by the boss or one of his hand selected lieutenants! You're supposed to know nothing about him!"

The other guy, obviously of lower rank – or whatever they used as classification in the ranks of the Committee – didn't know about his mistake or was too ignorant to keep his mouth shut, and promptly threw a hand over his mouth to try and do it externally. He nodded at the other guy and hurried down the hall, trying to make it seem like nothing had happened.

Okay, they now knew Tsukune wasn't currently being tortured, or they would've heard more about it. But what they needed to know was where he was being held...

"How could such a grunt like him know about the prisoner anyways?" The guy muttered to himself. "Probably sneaking around the basement where he doesn't belong..." with that, the officer grumbled and complained his way down the opposite hall, presumably to return to his post. That conveniently gave the three enough clues to figure out that Tsukune was being held in the basement; now all they needed to do was get to it without raising the alarm. Moka pressed her face to the grate and peered around with one eye, trying to see if anybody else was nearby. Ears and eyes straining, she deduced that this section was clear for the moment and silently and painstakingly slowly removed the grate, motioning for the others to get down.

Kurumu breathed a sigh of relief as she was finally able to get free of the dusty vent, but her heart started pumping faster now that she was in the open. It made her nervous to be in the heart of the evil place where at any turn she could come face to face with more goons, but she also knew that she couldn't leave Tsukune here. After all, she hadn't come all this way for nothing. Mizore slid down with the grace and silence of a cat, while Moka followed suit in a less graceful, but just as silent, fall to her feet. The three looked around, trying to figure out which way led to the basement, but the four way intersection looked identical to each other. Mizore was stumped, and Moka was still trying to decide which way was best, but Kurumu felt that the hallway to their right, relatively to the two PSC's directions, was the correct way. When asked about it, she said she just felt that it was the right path, and that it seemed less dangerous as well.

The others didn't see much use with disagreeing, so Mizore and Moka followed the succubus down the hallway, constantly checking behind and forward for anyone wandering the halls. All seemed well, and there wasn't much in terms of telling which way they were actually going, but Kurumu seemed to know the way, and neither Mizore nor Moka had much ground to debate her claim. Lefts and rights, minutes and minutes, and still no sign of direction nor life was found. One would think that if the place was so well hidden there would be no need for confusing intruders, but apparently Kuyou was paranoid among his many other personality quirks. Not to mention that each hallway looked the damn same.

After half an hour of walking, Moka and Mizore grew tired of following Kurumu around, and stopped, prompting the succubus to get frustrated.

"Kurumu, we're not making any ground. We could be going the wrong way. We're lucky we haven't run into anybody in the first place," Moka said at length.

"I know, I know... but I was sure that I was going the right way... damn it! Why does this place have to be so confusing?!"

"Calm down, or you're going to give us away you big boobed idiot," Mizore interrupted, putting Kurumu's impending tirade to a halt. Her level attitude always broke the stride of the other two. "We have to find some kind of clue to tell us where we are. If we could find a PSC officer and knock him out... then we'd have a lead. But other than that, we'll have to do something better than wander around like lost cats."

"What do you think we should do, Mizore-san?" Moka asked. There was no input from Inner Moka, and she herself was stumped, so the vampiress left all the decision making to Mizore. She was good at this sort of thing. However, even the mostly strategical snow woman was at a loss as for what plan of action they should take. By this point wandering further would just be a waste of time. She cocked her head as she tried to wrap her mind around the predicament...

The sound of footsteps rang out from the corridor behind Moka, but the sound was casual and not rushed, as would be the case if they were after intruders. Kurumu froze up like a deer in headlights, but Moka and Mizore moved into action, snatching the succubus and withdrawing down the adjacent corridor far enough to not be seen.

"What I think we should do is follow them," Mizore said.

Fair enough. The others agreed and let the patrol of five or six pass, then headed out to follow them. If anyone would know where to go in this place, it would be the guards who maintained it. Once again the three tried to be as stealthy as they could, but either Moka or Kurumu kept tripping up and making some kind of noise, creating some heart-pounding moments for the trio. The patrol went from hallway to hallway almost as aimlessly as they themselves had, and it seemed like this idea was just another dead end. After a particularly close call involving the patrol stopping and sending one of their own to investigate, Moka was just about ready to return to trying to forge their own path through the maze-like headquarters.

"Maybe we should just take them out," Kurumu whispered to the others. "This is getting us nowhere!"

"For once you may actually be right," Mizore admitted. "But that doesn't mean we should give up just yet. Eventually they'll have to report back to their bosses or to their rooms, as I'm sure there's bound to be living quarters here somewhere. What do you think, Moka-san?"

Moka disliked being dragged back into the spotlight, but it was a necessary evil. To wander alone might prolong Tsukune's torture (if he was actually being tortured) longer than necessary, but if following the patrol was in fact a dead end, they may be brought further away from their objective. Damn it.

Furrowing her brow and closing her eyes, she racked her brain and tried to evaluate each option as quick as she could. Her naturally quicker vampiric mind made the task easier, but it was still a hefty amount of thinking. At last, she decided it would be best for them to take out the patrol as silently as they could, see if they could loot a key of some sort or a map, and make their way from there. The best of both worlds. The only problem was, if they didn't take them all down silently, one of the officers might raise the alarm. She told the others as much, and while Kurumu was all for it, Mizore appeared to become a little more withdrawn, but went along with it. The three moved out, trying to catch up as quickly as they could.

It made it much harder since they couldn't use lethal force against men who weren't able to defend themselves, but it was just another hurdle that had to be surmounted. Kurumu put a vicious elbow in the back of one of the officer's heads, taking him out instantly. Mizore did the same with a larger than normal ice shard in the shape of a mallet. Moka used her martial arts training to put a well placed chop into the the third man's neck, cutting the flow to his brain and putting him out in a heartbeat. Three down, and... of course, three more to go. Unlucky, for the other three were turning around in response to the surprised and muffled grunts of their fallen comrades. Mizore and Kurumu dashed forward, limbs and ice drawn, while Moka moved forward as fast as she could. Which, even for a sealed vampire, was frighteningly fast. Moka's target went down long before the other two reached theirs, while Kurumu finally caught up and put a knee in the poor man's groin before smashing her fist on his head. Mizore threw her ice mallet at the final man, but the guy ducked with surprising reflexes and bolted before any of them could react.

"Don't let him get away you guys!" Moka yelled as she ran after him. Mizore and Kurumu followed suit.

X-X

Tsukune panted heavily with exertion and pain from his futile attempts to break through his bonds. Another ten minutes of straining had done nothing except deepen the gashes in his wrists and ankles. The rope around his midsection had, luckily, only grazed the skin instead of cut into it. And yet, in the face of his futility, he willed himself to go on. Of course, if he lost much more blood he may start feeling the effects of anemia, but he didn't care. His friends needed him, and that was reason enough. But willpower didn't do much if your strength wasn't enough to break through your restraints. He simply couldn't muster the power without the full use of his vampire blood. Then again, he felt more than knew that if he stayed here much longer, his bloody wrists wouldn't be the only problems he had to deal with.

Another couple of minutes or so and he would be able to release his seal, he knew it as well as he knew his own heart. Tsukune's thinking was clearer and digging for his youki reserves brought much less pain than before. However, it was still too much to concentrate on for any prolonged period of time. He could feel his friends' energy signatures were above him, presumably looking for the entrance to the room where he was being held.

One final burst of rooting through his mind for the access to his dormant power ravaged his brain with the searing side effects of the toxins he had been injected with. He could almost feel the energy waiting to surge forth, and if he could reach it, he could send it to his seal and loosen the bond between skin and magical item. But it was too much. Had Inner Moka thought ahead to train Tsukune's mind instead of just his body, he might have been able to bear the pain, but he could not. He simply wasn't tolerant of it enough.

Hanging his head, defeated, Tsukune rested his weary mind and limbs, giving his now feeble regeneration a chance to work its magic on him. The blood stopped flowing as copiously as it had before, and his headache eased a bit, but it would be awhile before he could try something similar. Wait. Something was wrong. Tsukune's eyes shot open and his head snapped up, looking directly ahead to try and see the person who had starting coming toward him. His teeth unconsciously bared themselves, awaiting the challenge. Whoever it is, he wouldn't give him any sort of satisfaction.

The sliding door to Tsukune's torture room slid open, revealing a familiar face and garb. Tsukune growled loudly once he recognized who it was. Moburu. Somehow he wasn't surprised to see him here, but it only bode ill for him to be weakened and bound in the face of someone like him.

"Well well, how the mighty have fallen," Moburu preened. He derived such joy from seeing the boy belittled and weakened in front of him. "How did you manage to get yourself into this situation, Tsukune?"

The vampire in question spat in Moburu's direction. "Tripped, got captured," he said at length.

"Cute. Unfortunate for you to be held up in here, especially with your... admittedly uncomfortable accommodations. However I didn't come here to hurt you – much. You see, I infiltrated the PSC to see what was going on with the academy's power structure, and it really isn't much."

"Oh, so you aren't going to take advantage of my vulnerable position?" Tsukune asked sardonically.

Moburu laughed. "I didn't say I wasn't going to, it's just that it's not high on my priority list. You see, taking you down now would be unfair, and wouldn't be an honorable way to humiliate you properly." A wicked smirk crept its way onto his face. "But it is greatly amusing to see someone with the power to defeat me powerless and weak, strapped to a chair where they can do nothing to defend themselves."

"Well, are you going to get me out of here or what? And why are you here anyway?"

"You aren't in any position to be asking questions, Tsukune. But, I guess you deserve an explanation for my rather unexpected position here. You see, I despise beings who are weaker than me. Hence when some petty ayashi came to me trying to extort money out of me, I gave them a hefty beating. The PSC noticed, and wanted me to join their little circle. So I did. Of course, I didn't do anything suspicious, but that's just my nature.

"As for your first question..." Moburu walked over to Tsukune's bent form and slammed a fist into his gut, making him cough up spittle and blood. Once, twice, and another across the face, and he was done.

"I will, now that you've paid a meager recompense for my humiliation." A man of his word, albeit twisted, Moburu went behind the chair and tore the metal apart, freeing Tsukune's hands. An eyebrow went up at the circles of blood around his wrist, but other than that, he remained emotionless. He let Tsukune tear off the rope around his chest as he kicked the shackles on his ankles apart.

"Thanks for the assist, but the punches weren't really necessary," Tsukune grumbled. "Now, let's see if I can't find some food; I'm dry."

"Thought of that for you, as much as I despise helping you. Here." Moburu produced some blood packs that he most likely stole from somebody or got directly from the source. Tsukune couldn't tell by the spots dotting the outside. As shady as it was accepting blood packs from an enemy, Tsukune knew he needed the boost or he would kill himself trying to escape in his current condition. The three proffered to him were downed and tossed before Moburu had even made his way back to the door. As soon as the blood was in him, Tsukune could feel it going directly to his wounds, sealing them up faster than any human could dream of even in his sealed state. His strength also returned, making it easier to beat off any trace of fatigue. He was hesitant on releasing his energy, as the short burst of youki might be the equivalent of screaming 'I'm escaping!' at the top of his lungs.

"Let's get out of here," he said to Moburu anyway, and opened the door. He had had enough of the place already. The cloaked man followed, amused at the little show of authority Tsukune had put on. As if he had the right to, but it was best to let kids believe they were in charge. Especially when this particular kid didn't have a clue as to where he was going. Oh well, it was best to let that mistake fetter into a blunder, and let him reap the reward for his mistake.

Tsukune had troubles deducing which way led out, but luckily it was relatively easy to see the way out if he thought about it. Each corridor had a sector full of prisoner rooms that went on for a ways, but the sector had one door at each end that led back to the basement's main hallway, where other sectors housed their own cells. It was disturbing to think Kuyou had had so many containment cells installed when there wasn't that many students at the academy in the first place, but it was chalked up to his madness. Once Tsukune figured this out, he tried to determine which hallways led to the main sector hallway or just more cells. Moburu followed him wherever he went, making no comment (which was nice, because most of what he said was overly annoying). Once or twice Tsukune almost ran headfirst into some guards inspecting other prisoners, but at full strength he was able to keep out of sight. A while later he thought he was in the main hall, as this one was much bigger, but it only turned out to be another cell sector.

"All right, Moburu, where is the exit?"

"Oh I bet it was painful to swallow that pride, eh? Hmm, since I don't feel like walking around down here any longer, I guess I'll show you. Follow me."

Tsukune had a very bad feeling about letting the man take him out, but if he helped him escape his cell, then maybe he actually was trying to get him out. It all seemed so... off, though. Especially the fact that one of the guys who hated him most was helping him escape. Tsukune didn't have time to think on it, because he was already in the real main hall and walking toward the stairs to the upper floors. Seems like Moburu had also kept to his word on this one.

The stairs up were simple enough, and Tsukune wasn't as foolish as Moburu thought he was to lead said man up. Warily checking his surroundings, Tsukune made sure that he wasn't being followed, and that there were no traps set for him. Soon he was finally on the first floor, where presumably his friends were looking for him. He made to set out and find them, but Moburu called back, "Wouldn't want to go that way, boy. Quite a bit of patrolmen going down there."

"Do you know where my friends are? They're here looking for me."

"Friends?" The way Moburu's face looked as he said that said all Tsukune needed to know. Either he didn't know where they are, or he didn't remember the three girls he had knocked out in their first encounter. A shame, but that meant Tsukune just had to look for them himself.

"All right, Moburu, I can make my way out from here. Go back to whatever it is you were doing."

"I'm afraid I can't leave you just yet. If you go prancing around in search of anybody now you're sure to be discovered. Just get out of here and wait for your little buddies – whoever they are – to come back."

"I can't do that!" Tsukune yelled. "They're in danger while they're still here!"

Moburu's brow knitted together in disapproval for a good few minutes, but Tsukune wouldn't budge. "Very well, you damn fool. Go find them. But if you get yourself into trouble, don't say I warned you. Sometimes you bite off more than you can chew, kid." With that, he left, striding off down the hall to the right where he had said the patrol was.

Shaking his head, Tsukune went down the left hall, relying on his supernatural radar to feel for his friends. It was risky, but he couldn't let them stay here under any circumstances. Since there was no way of telling them he was escaping or even free, for that matter, it was completely necessary to go seek them out. The only problem was, his means of finding them wasn't accurate, and they could be anywhere within the complex fortress. Tsukune only hoped they didn't run into too many enemies while looking for him. The three energy signatures were moving pretty quickly... it didn't help with his worry for them. Left, right, straight, dodge the guards... he moved as quickly as he could without drawing attention. It wouldn't do to have a fight on his hands at a time like this. Yet, even as he raced through the halls in search of his friends, he couldn't help but what Moburu's ulterior motives were. He had no reasonable reason to get him out of the place, and the fact that he was allied with the PSC only bode ill for Tsukune's constantly thinking mind.

A bolt of relief shot through Tsukune's core; the others were close, he could feel it. He pressed on, eager to finally get them to safety so he didn't have to worry about their well being. He became reckless, barely going around tables and instruments, and scraping by another patrol without being detected. It would seem they were near the back right of the complex, which if his guesses were right, meant the PSC's barracks. His eyes narrowed. What possible business could they have there? It may not even be the barracks, but the thought only urged him on more.

X-X

Without Inner Moka's frightening speed, the three were having a hard time catching up to the runner. He was fast, and while Kurumu, Moka, and Mizore were respectively quick in their own right, they were at a disadvantage. Kurumu was only speedy when she could fly, but it wasn't possible indoors. Moka was sealed, and Mizore was fast when it came to stealth, not full out sprints. Of course, it didn't help that the guy had a head start and the three had no idea where they were going. In the end, only Moka was able to actually keep up, as Mizore and Kurumu fell behind. They simply weren't accustomed to running, while Moka's was (yet unused to it). Sharp turn after turn, Moka barely kept up with the quick little bastard. Kurumu and Mizore were just able to keep on track through scant glimpses of candy pink hair just disappearing after each corner.

"_**Enough of this! Stop playing around and take him down!" **_Inner Moka berated her outer self. She knew her outer self could do it, but Omote was so used to restraining her already weakened abilities that it made her close to useless. All she needed was to release those mental restraints for once. Outer Moka knew of these almost unconscious blocks, and tried to go faster. She succeeded... but not by much. However, it was enough; the runner was losing ground.

"Haaah!" Moka yelled as she more or less tackled the guy to the ground. So joyful she was in her victory that she ignored everything else for awhile. She had done it! Instead of letting others save her, she had actually done something! It made her so proud of herself, and hoped for similar feelings from her friends. Said friends were now catching up, and Moka's awareness came back bit by bit. She noticed that they weren't inside anymore; the guy below her was lying face first in the decayed dirt, groaning in pain. The wooden walls squared off the sides and front, and when she looked back, even the entrance to the inner courtyard had disappeared. _What's going on?! _she thought. There was no way they could've gone outside without feeling the difference in air – it was distinct, and she hadn't noticed the transition. Looking around, the courtyard was filled to the brim with all sorts of tents, torture devices, supply crates, and even a gallows was off to the side. A larger tent was set in the far back, adorned with odd ornaments and stripes of orange, red, and black.

Mizore deduced that the large tent was the PSC's leader's tent; it would seem the Committee liked to be outside, and so their leader's tent, naturally the biggest and most flamboyant, would be here. Dread filled their hearts like sand, clogging their breath and blanking their minds. If they were here, and the leader's base of operations was also here...

Clapping rang out in the little patch of earth, bouncing off from each structure and wall so many times it seemed like it was coming from everywhere at once. The three froze, fear lancing through their hearts. They were discovered, and whatever chance they had of escaping unscathed had just been thrown out the window. There was no activity in the courtyard, but that sole sound might as well been the loudest alarms to the three rooted to the spot.

"Well, well. What have we here? Intruders? Attacking my poor men? How uncouth. Then again, scum like you always were dirty and ill-mannered. I would say it's a shame I'll have to kill you, but really, it's not." The voice led the appearance of a tall man with long blond hair who was still sardonically applauding their entrance. Not only was their leader powerful, he was also apparently a megalomaniac with attitude.

Moka somehow found strength in spite of their failure. "What do you mean, scum?!" she yelled in retort. "We're just trying to find our friend, whom you have mercilessly captured and held here against his will!"

"My my," Kuyou said, "What spite! You see, bringing criminals into custody is in no way a crime, and your 'friend' is not as innocent as you make him out to be. Ah, but where are my manners? Let me introduce myself; my name is Kuyou, and I am the president of this fine installation. And who are you three?"

Kurumu spat in his direction, even though Kuyou was a hundred feet or so away. "To hell with you! We don't need to tell you who we are! Just release Tsukune! He's all we came for!"

An evil grin formed on Kuyou's angular face, making his visage more evil than it really needed to be. "I'm sorry, little girl, but that simply won't happen. Tsukune already managed to get out of his cell, and I have no idea where he is." The three gasped in both surprise and relief. Tsukune was free? But how? And where the hell was he? "I should probably explain; the whole building is enchanted, and what seems like the most dizzying of turns and the longest of walkways can become a simple little room all in the space of a second. It's a useful illusion that makes for confusing intruders like yourselves as well as making for quite a bit of space. The problem is it's difficult to maintain the entire building at once. I was able to track you and poor Yuto there, and lead you here, but not the escapee. But now that you are here, he will be joining you shortly.

"After all, it will be much more entertaining to kill you all together, am I right?"

Moka, Mizore, and Kurumu's breath shot from their lungs as if they had been punched in the gut. Kill them? What had they done wrong...? Tears welled in Moka's eyes as she imagined the deaths of everyone by Kuyou's hand. It wasn't fair... nobody deserved such evil...

"TSUKUNE!" Moka screamed in frustration and fear.

The man in question stopped in his tracks, ears straining and eyes wide. The scream that had sounded out had seemed like it had gone off right next to him. That wasn't possible...! Tsukune looked around, anxious to see where it had come from. It wasn't close, so he ran around the corner only to meet nothing but empty space. It made him want to tear apart the walls with his bare hands! His anxiety mounted to such a point that he gave in and did just that; he released his vampiric power and charged at the wall at full force. The wall stood no chance, being nothing but thin pine, and the explosion of splinters and miscellaneous objects could be heard from all over. Getting out without drawing attention was a thing of the past, and he was done playing around. To his surprise, the sizable hole led not to another hallway or room but the outside. Curious, but still racing to find Moka, he ventured outside.

An eyebrow went up as he took in the surroundings. The place was enclosed, not open as he had expected, and was filled to the brim with various equipment and tents. Apparently the place also housed a courtyard, which was a surprise. Even further surprising him was his friends standing to his right, all together, as they stared at a tall man overlooking the area from a walkway in front of a large tent. Some guessing took place, and Tsukune believed the man to be the leader of the fine establishment, which he would be correct. As to his friends...

"Guys! Over here!" He ran over to them, eager to make sure they were safe. There was no need to call, though; the brutish entrance he had performed had been noisy enough to let everyone there know he had arrived. Oh well.

"Tsukune-kun? Tsukune-kun!" The three yelled in unison, glad to see their friend was all right. It made their hearts skip a beat to see him so intense in his vampire form, but that was beside the point. Shaken from their paralysis caused by fear, they ran to greet him midway.

Kuyou looked on as the four met up and hugged, probably talking about meaningless things and fretting about even though their main threat still stood right in front of them. It was amusing how the rabble found strength in their camaraderie, but all in all it was a moot meeting. Now extremely tired of dealing with these fools, Kuyou decided that he would end them all right here and now. After all, no one really needed to know that four students mysteriously disappeared, and he could always find easier prey to display to the public as a symbol of the PSC's strength. He calmly started walking down, and made his way to the middle of the courtyard.

"Tsukune, why did you find it necessary to blast a hole in my perfectly good wall? That'll just be time and effort that I really don't need at the moment. Oh well, I'll just have to exact payment from you in blood."

Tsukune returned his gaze to the tall man, who he now knew was the mastermind behind the nefarious schemes, Kuyou, and assessed his fighting ability. After a moment of concentration, he viewed the man's aura. Pure magenta? An evil one indeed, and after gauging his raw strength, Tsukune's jaw clenched in anticipation. As expected of the president of the PSC, this guy was a mighty opponent. It may take all of his power to take this one down. Looking over his shoulder at his friends, he met the eyes of each one slowly and carefully. They nodded their support in turn, and with a bolster of confidence, Tsukune turned to meet his first real challenge as a vampire.

**Author's Notes: **Haha! I have purposefully lengthened this chapter specifically to reach over 100,000 words for this fanfic! Yes, in actual content, not just author's notes :P but personal goals aside, the anxiously awaited showdown between the empowered Tsukune and the Youko Kuyou will be detailed in full next chapter! Please review to tell me what I'm doing wrong (or right), as criticism/support makes the writer! Thank you all for your continued support. Vincent.

P.S. IT'S OVER 9000! (Words)


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